


Breaking Point

by insaneshadowfangirl, LucyRed



Series: Just Our Fallen Hell [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AND HAVE A SICK SENSE OF HUMOR, BC YOUR AUTHORS ARE THIRSTY, Begging, Broken Sans, Collars, Dehumanization, I gave you the temmie scene, Lucy promote me please, Public Humiliation, SOUL slavery, Sans losing it, THE NONCON IS A BRIEF SCENE IN CHAPTER 2 WITH A TEM OKAY, Trash Mom is on a roll, Underfell! - Freeform, Underfell!Chara - Freeform, Underfell!Sans - Freeform, and by 'it' i mean every last shred of dignity, eye stabbing, give me a promotion, let's see, pet Sans, she should be promoted to Trash Boss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-08-30 07:44:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8524453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insaneshadowfangirl/pseuds/insaneshadowfangirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucyRed/pseuds/LucyRed
Summary: It's easy to give up on paper. To pick the path of least resistance and just do as you're told.  Sans just wishes it were as simple when the eyes of the world are on you.





	1. Chapter 1

Sans shivers, pulling his jacket tighter around himself and pushing himself back farther against the cave corner. He hadn’t had time to properly brace himself for the anxiety that came with separation from his Breaker - even without the Bonder a Split SOUL always is driven into a panic when too far from the person responsible for its breaking. Why, Sans doesn’t know - just another unfair element to his universe. 

Frisk had appeared moments after his arrival, though they’d barely spoken, just paced back and forth in the air, agitated. At least he knows the kid has his back. Not that they can do much. Though they’d tried, when he’d nearly gotten dusted on his way here. 

Split SOULS could be  _ sensed _ , especially when monsters were continually checking one another. He’d known he had pursuers the moment he stepped out from the safety of his home. He’d actually woken up right after the RESET, and so even Papyrus was asleep by the time he slipped out. But he’d been stumbling like a drunk, because he’d forgotten how legs worked and was barely able to stay upright. He has his magic back, now, but found he could only teleport brief distances.

It’s been too long since he’s used any of his magic. He just hopes none of the sentries saw him and reported his travel direction to Papyrus.

There’s a crash at the doors. 

Sans jumps back, eyes wide, “k-kid…” He whimpers, pulling his hood over his face and trying to crawl back even further into the shadows.

“It’s gonna be okay Sans. Just… Just remember what Chara said. Teleport out of here if he gets in.” They both know who’s trying to break down the doors. Like the way into the Ruins, though, this cave is extremely hard to break into.

“i can’t...i  _ can’t  _ i b-burnt out all m-my magic j-just getting h-here i didn’t th-think to s-stop to eat o-or anything oh  _ fuck _ …” 

Frisk joins in the cussing. “Okay, okay, we need a cover story,  _ now _ .” They mumble. 

“nononononono…” Sans hasn’t felt scared of Papyrus for months - he’s felt too apathetic. Now all he can remember is the memories behind the fractures in his SOUL caused by neither himself nor Chara. “no..nonono this c-can’t happen…”

“Call Chara. Do it now!” There’s another heavy bang, and dust falls from the ceiling.

“i have been they aren’t answering!” Why haven’t they been answering they’re his master they’re supposed to  _ protect him  _ they’re supposed to be there!

“Try harder!” 

_ ‘Chara please please please  _ **_please_ ** _ Papyrus is gonna kill me he’s gonna kill me help me please master  _ **_help me_ ** _ - _ !’

‘ _ Okay, Sansy, just calm down. I’m coming, I’m coming! I’m having a bit of an issue on my end. I’ll be there soon, okay? I promise. _ ’ He can feel a fairly decent amount of panic coming from Chara and briefly wonders what’s happening.

_ ‘i can’t calm down i’m going to die and you’re going to punish me and it’s  _ **_not fucking fair_ ** !’

_ ‘I won’t, I won’t it’s not your fault. You just need to stay calm and not tell him about me. That’s all I want you to do. I promise I’ll be there by tonight and I’ll take care of you, okay? Be brave, little puppy, it’ll be okay~.’ _

Sans feels the connection close as Chara shuts it off, presumably so they can focus on whatever it is that’s holding them up. Sans feels his eyelights go out as the door finally breaks down.

His brother storms in, tall and furious. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING SANS?!”

_ ‘for the love of fuck don’t pass out.’ _

“...c..c-cavin’ i-i-in…”

“Really Sans!?” Frisk facepalms.

Papyrus’s expression darkens.

“...l-livin’ under a r-rock…”

“SANS, STOP.” 

He snaps his mouth shut, swallowing, “y-y-yes B-Boss…”

“THE DOG PACK IS SAYING YOUR SOUL IS SPLIT.” 

“....y-yeah? h-h-ha...w-wow th-that’s...y-y’know th-those guys...a l-lotta b-bark…”

Papyrus stalks forwards and grabs him by the hood, lifting him into the air easily. Sans tucks in his legs and shuts his eyes, trembling like a wet kitten.

His brother yanks his shirt up and inspects his SOUL. “WHO?!”

“ _ nah _ ! g-give it b-back!” Sans makes a frantic grab for it, eyes widening.

“WHO SPLIT YOU!?” Papyrus demands, holding the little ball of magic away from Sans.

_ “give that back _ !” Sans’s panic gives him a brief surge of energy and he grabs Papyrus by his SOUL, shoving him back and snatching his own heart back, putting the red-lined SOUL into his chest and cowering at the look his brother is giving him. “..P..P-Paps...b-bro, p-please, c-c’mon…” He backs up, shoulders hitting the cave wall.

Papyrus’s eyes narrow and he advances, growling. “TELL. ME.” 

Sans shuts his eyes, bracing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. “n-no..”

“SANS!”

Frisk panics, and reaches into Sans’s chest, wrapping their hands around his SOUL and trying to push more magic into it in the hopes that Sans can make a run for it. They don’t have a clue if it’ll work.

The skeleton cries out as Papyrus grabs him by the front of his shirt and slams him back against the cave wall, trying his damndest not to cry in front of his brother, “P-P...B-Boss p-please d-don’t-!”

“DON’T WHAT, YOU WORTHLESS SACK OF SHIT?!” 

“ _ you’re my  _ **_brother_ ** _ you jackass you should be h-helping me _ !”

Papyrus strikes him across the face. “OBVIOUSLY I WASN’T ROUGH ENOUGH WITH YOU IF ANY RANDOM FUCK CAN COME ALONG AND SPLIT YOU.”

Sans yelps, feeling his face flush in shame at the puppy-ish sound and clawing at the hand gripping his shirt, “p-put me d-down b-bro p-put me d-down j-just l-leave me alone  _ please _ !”

Papyrus, much to his surprise, simply tosses him to the ground. “GIVE ME A NAME, RUNT, AND I WILL NOT HURT YOU.”

Sans shakes his head, swallowing tightly, “...no. n-no. i can’t. go a-ahead and j-just abandon m-me. l-leave me here. go. y-you don’t e-even fucking care…”

“I WILL BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY UNTIL YOU GIVE ME A NAME, SANS.” 

“you think whoever Split me didn’t do worse?!” Sans gives a harsh laugh, feeling himself finally start crying as he shakes ahead. “g-go ahead. o-one l-last f-fucking go at m-me, P-Paps...do it. f-for old times’ s-sake..”

His brother is staring at him, expression unreadable. “I want to know who did this to you, Sans.” This time his voice is surprisingly quiet. 

“y-yeah. s-so you c-can report it a-and get th-that fucking p-promotion a-and leave m-me behind you d-don’t fucking c-care don’t  _ p-play that card _ !” Sans grits his teeth, “i-i’d rather you f-fucking b-broke m-me in t-two b-before you t-tried to pretend you g-give a fuck!”

“... Fine.” The taller skeleton spun around. “Do not bother coming home.”

“even if i wanted to.” Sans huddles back against the wall, wiping his sleeve over his eyes and looking at his meager 0.4 HP. 

_ ‘...you’d promised…’ _

_ ‘Ten minutes, Sansy. I am on my way. I have a couple puzzles I need to solve before I can get to you. Are you okay?’ _

_ ‘you said you were going to protect me. he nearly killed me. you lied to me..’ _

‘ _ I was attacked. By Asriel. He went all-out, he’d stolen two of the human SOULS from the castle.’  _ Their mental voice is shaky, they sound genuinely unsettled. ‘ _ I was not at all prepared for it. _ ’

Sans shuts his eyes, bracing his forehead on his knees and hugging his legs, “...h-hurts…”

_ ‘Three minutes _ .’ Chara assures. ‘ _ I have some Spider Cider for you _ .’

He wipes his eyes again, “...a-any donuts…?”

_ ‘Had to eat it fighting Mom, sorry Sansy. _ ’ 

“...oh..” Sans rests his chin on his knees, swallowing, “...it’s fine...c-cold in here, though..”

_ ‘I’m coming down the hill now. _ ’ 

“i...i-i can s-sense you’re close…”

They enter the room, hurrying inside and panting slightly. Sans tries to get up to greet them but collapses back to his seat from exhaustion and pain at moving his bruised bones, “o-ow…”

Chara comes in and sits beside him, pulling a warmed bottle out of their inventory, along with a few pieces of Monster Candy. They gently pull him close so he’s leaning against their warmer body. Chara actually feels a little guilty for having to make him deal with his brother on his own, but they hadn’t really had an option. Of course, they’ll still turn it to their advantage.

His shaking arms can't hold the drink so Chara feeds him sips at a time, petting his head and rubbing his back as he slowly heals. Sans shivers, sighing as his HP crawls back to 1 and leaning against them. “th-thanks…”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner, Sansy…” They mumble, offering him a piece of the candy.

He swallows it whole, sighing in relief, “y..y-you couldn't h-help it…”

Chara nods slowly. “Do you want to come with me on my run, or would you rather I found another place for you to hide?” 

“i w-wanna hide..”

“Alright.” They nod again. “Here won’t be safe with the door open, will it?”

Sans shakes his head. 

“Okay. Do you have any ideas, Sansy?”

“c..c-can’t go h-home…”

“I know, I know.” They soothe, rubbing the back of his spine through his jacket. “Tem Village?”

Sans shudders, “...i-if you want me to…”

“I want you to go somewhere you will be safe for twelve hours.”

“i d...i d-don’t know...i d-don’t kn-know i’m j-just a s-stupid puppy i d-don’t know i-i’m s-sorry…”

“Alright, calm down.” Chara says, rolling their eyes and leaning back. “The Temmies aren't usually violent and the village is pretty out of the way. Do you think if I let you have all of your magic you'd be able to get us there?” 

“...i d-don’t know...i h-haven’t used m-my magic in s-so long...i h-had to w-walk h-here i k-kept f-fucking up…”

“Try.” Chara commands, loosening their hold on his magic. “The closer you can get to there the better. I think you can do it, Sansy.”

Sans jolts at the sensation of his magic storage coming back in full force, groaning quiety and rubbing at his sternum. He holds up a hand, trying to summon a bone. It fizzles out in his hand and he gives a shaky swear.

Chara sighs. Of fucking  _ course _ . “Sans.” 

“i-i’m s-sorry...i-i-i’m sorry i c-can...i c-can do it i j...h-hang on i c-can do it…” He tries again, eye flaring up and sweat breaking out over his forehead as he struggles to keep the bone formed, “f-fuck..”

“Practice. You have three hours. I’m going to take a nap.” They grumble, lying on their side.

“i-i’m sorry..” Sans whispers.

“You want to be forgiven?  _ Fix it _ . Practice.”

“...y-yes m-master…”

“Good boy.” They close their eyes. 

“...Frisk…” Sans whispers.

“Yeah?” The ghostly form asks. They've noticed they're visible more often now, and wonder if it has something to do with Chara knowing about them.

‘Yeah?’ That was it? They sounded so...careless…

Sans forcibly shakes off that line of thought. “..h..h-help me practice…?”

“‘Course!” They smile. 

Okay. That made him feel better. Sans forces a smile, “th-thanks…”

 

Chara wakes up to find Sans seated a few feet away.

“i...i th-think i almost got it…” Sans says to the invisible child, holding up both hands. He keeps a bone formed for about fifteen seconds before it fizzles out. “...it’s getting easier, yeah..”

The human checks their watch. It's been a little over two hours. Frisk has apparently been ‘helping’ him.

“That's great!” Frisk cheers, doing a flip. They've noticed Chara is awake but elected not to point it out. They don't want to startle Sans. 

“h-heh...yeah k..k-kinda hard getting...b-back into this..” Sans rubs tiredly at his eyes, blinking rapidly to try and abate his growing fatigue, “...h-haven’t used my m-magic in months…”

“Will you be able to teleport them, do you think?”

“..f-fuck, that's r-right, they w-wanted me to take th-them with me…”

“You don't think you can manage it? What if you make a bunch of short jumps?”

“th-that’s not wh-what they asked…”

“If it’ll get you both there safely and quickly I don't think they care.” 

“i...i-i don't kn-know if i c-can be that precise, it's...t-teleportation is..is r-really complicated…”

“How far do you think you can go?” 

“i don't...i don't  _ know,  _ kid i can't…!” Sans braces his hands against the sides of his head, gritting his teeth in frustration, “i c-can’t do anything right anyway i d-don’t even know why i’m trying..!”

“Because you don't want me to get  **_angry_ ** , do you Sansy~?”

Sans freezes up, “...how l-long have they been awake?!” Sans whispers at Frisk, “why the fuck didn't you say anything?!”

“Didn't want you to panic like you are  _ right now _ .” They mumble back.

If he'd known when they'd woken up then he wouldn't have continued talking like he thought they weren't listening. Sans turns around, staying on his knees, “..h-hey..” He greets Chara in a shaking voice.

“Still think you can't do it Sansy~? I bet you can, if given the right motivation.” They smirk. “If you can't get us all the way to Tem Village, Master will blind you again once I finish my run and have everything set up. If you  _ do  _ manage it, I promise you get to eat every day this week.”

Sans suddenly feels cold all over, “...o-oh…”

“You've still got forty minutes, so practice up~.” 

Swallowing, Sans shuts his eyes and focuses ten times as hard, pulling more and more magic from his SOUL. He has to do this right. He  _ has _ to. 

Chara smirks as his eye flares up, sending sparkling red lights spreading across the stone. They were right, he just needed proper  _ motivation _ .

He holds his head as it starts to ache but only focuses harder. He's straining himself. 

“Are you ready?”

Sans holds out his hand, gritting his teeth and keeping his eyes shut. 

Chara slides their own into it. There's a momentary flash of heat as his magic sparks and the next thing either of them know, they're sitting waist deep in garbage dump water. 

Chara glares at him. 

Sans stares at his hands, eye flickering like a lamp about to go out, “n-no…”

“Come on Sansy. Looks like we're legging it~.” The human hums, dragging themself out of the water. “Unless you think you can manage another?”

“i can do it!” Sans shouts, panicked, his magic eye starting to leak blood, “ _ i can do this i can  _ **_do this_ ** !”

But there's no more light from his eye. Chara shakes their head. “Looks like Sansy’s all out of magic~.” 

Sans braces his hands in the water, shutting his non-magic eye and breathing through his teeth. Chara can sense the strain he's putting on his SOUL through the Bonder, like a very dull ache. “h-hff...hhf... _ gh _ ! come  _ on _ come  _ on  _ it's  _ not that hard _ !”

“Sans,  **_stop_ ** .” Chara snaps. He's really going to hurt himself at this rate, and too much damage will make Asgore suspicious when they bring him to the castle. They're already going to have to look up a spell to hide his Split.

Sans starts trembling, putting his face in his hands, “i t-tried…”

“You did.” Chara agrees, as though he's told them the sky is blue. Casual. Careless. “Now  _ come _ .” They start walking away.

Sans drags himself to his feet, slowly and meekly following after them. He's going to be blinded. He was an idiot and he's going to suffer. It doesn't matter how hard he tried. ‘Trying’ is not enough.

Not anymore. 


	2. Tem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is uncomfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're putting the scene between Sans and Tem in a separate oneshot so we don't compromise our strictly torture porn integrity lol -LR

Temmie Village is  _ weird _ . The Tems stare and chatter at one another in an utterly incomprehensible tongue, the few that can speak in an understandable manner using broken English and randomly rampant capital letters. One attempts to nuzzle Chara’s leg, and they kick it away, sending it flying across the cave, shrieking in glee.

Of course this is tame behavior for them. To Chara they act deceptively friendly. As for Sans...well. With 1HP and a Split SOUL, even for Tems he's prey.

It's a good thing they're too stupid to be effectively violent but holy fuck these things creep him out. 

They're all  _ staring _ . With big, bulbous eyes that are falsely adorable. One licks it's (her?) snout, and Sans presses closer to Chara as they make their way into the Tem Shop. 

“HOI! wAT caNs Tem DO fOr YOU HOomAn?!”

“This--” they point at Sans, “--Is mine. I'd appreciate you looking after it for a bit. There may be… Compensation involved. Perhaps enough to pay for college?”

The Tem’s eyes go  _ wide _ .

“Of course, if there's so much as a scratch on it I will  **_kill each and every one of you_ ** .” They add, eyes narrowing.

Sans fidgets restlessly as they all eye him, looking at the exit. He hates this place. He really really hates it. 

“OOH TEmMIe woULd NeVAr!” 

“...i could always s-stay in a snow poff..”

“You can't possibly teleport that far Sansy.” Chara smirks.

He swallows, “i d-don’t wanna be blind, m-master..”

“We’ll talk about your punishment later, Sansy.” They say simply, walking towards the shop door.

“Char-!” Sans steps after them, but they're already gone. 

The shop Tem giggles at him. 

He flips the cat/dog off and hurries for the corner of the small cave. He's too afraid to leave and face more of the creatures, but he doesn't want to deal with the one there is, either. 

“SiLly sKEllie.” Temmie giggles.

“shut the fuck up.”

The creature leaves its desk. Sans backs up when he glances back and sees it’s gone. He looks around, shoulders lifting in apprehension.

Something is suddenly gripping him by the shoulders. “TeMmIE tHinKs YUr cuTe!” 

“ _ fuckoffacliff _ !” Sans wheels around, shoving the monster off of him and stumbling back several feet, falling to his seat.

“SHOulDn't bE rUDe! TeMmIe mIGht kiCK yOu OUt! WHOLe VIllaGE oF TeMS oUt thERe!”

“and forfeit all your c-compensation?” Sans scoots back further.

“THEy woN't huRT You! BUt yOu wON't bE ABle tO RUn aWAy! ToO ManY TeMS!”

“b-back off..” Sans summons a stuttering bone attack above his head, arm shaking as he holds it out, “b-back  _ off _ !”

The Tem tackles him, pinning him to the floor. The distraction fizzles out the attack.

“i’ll tell Chara! g-get off!” Sans curls up his shaking fist. This is maybe the one good hiding place he can think of off the top of his head that neither Undyne nor Papyrus will search, and so he hesitates to complain right away. Besides, Chara is already pissed at him...no need to whine immediately, the moment they leave.

They’ll probably just drag him around with him during their run, otherwise. And he doesn’t want that.

Plus, if he pisses them off any further he drastically reduces the chances of talking them out of blinding him.

“IF yoU'RE gOOd tEMmie iS Sure yoU’LL HAve fUN!” The creature pinning him has a big toothy grin.

“get  _ off _ !” Sans shoves her off, his back hitting the shop counter as he keeps scrambling away, “g-get!”

Blue magic surrounds his soul and he’s pinned to the floor. “Be a GOod sKElliE!”

“s-stop!” Sans immediately opens the Bonder’s connection, ‘ _ Chara!’ _

‘ _ Fighting Undyne!’  _ They snap. ‘ _ What do you want _ ?!’

‘ _ i n-need help-’ _

_ ‘Are you being hurt?’ _

_ ‘n..n-no b-but-’ _

_ ‘Then  _ **_shut the fuck up,_ ** _ I don’t have time to listen to you whine!’ _

The connection closes from the other end. 

“f-fuck…”

“ThAT's whAT We'rE goNNA Do, cUTe skELLie!” The monster grins, jumping on him.

His eyes widen and he lashes out again, a panicked breath catching in his throat.

“sTOP, oR tEmmIE wILL Tell yOur oWNer yoU attACKed hER.”

“s-so what?!”

“TemMIe bEts thAt’ll gET yOU In mOre troUBLe tHAn yoU'D LIKe!”

“y-yeah a-and you’ll b-be dust!”

“TeMMie dOEsn'T THInk sO. tEmmie wON't hURT You. So TeMMIe haS NO REasOn to worry.”

Sans tries to summon his magic again, but it fizzles out pathetically fast, “..p-please..”

The cat… Dog… Thing licks his cheekbones. “YOU'll HAve fuN litTLE SkELLIe!”

He shuts his his eyes, drawing in his knees as it bites the hood of his jacket and drags him behind the counter, “i-i d-don’t wanna do this, p-please..”

“ShUSh.” She scolds.

Sans swallows, stubbornly keeping his legs pressed together and his arms in front of his chest, “n-no..”

The blue magic intensifies, and she tugs his jacket over his arms.

“d-don’t t-touch m-my SOUL…”

“Be A GOod skELLie And TemMIe wILL leavE iT AloNE.”

“Ch-Chara will s-sense it..”

The creature giggles. “OkAy!”

“th-that’d be bad…”

“YuP!”

Sans swallows and shifts uncomfortably as the creature licks at his sternum. He feels trapped. Suffocated, under this counter. But he no longer knows how to defend himself - that’s exactly what he’s spent the last couple of months unlearning. He no longer has a choice as to what happens to him.

This is just how it is, now…

 

 

The monster left him alone, after it had gotten what it wanted. Sans pulled his shorts back up and retreated to the far corner of the shop, staying huddled up and deathly silent, his hood pulled up over his head. 

After a while he falls asleep, curled as far into the corner as he can feasibly go.

He wakes up an indeterminable amount of time later when he finally hears Frisk calling out for him.

The human swoops through the wall and immediately notices something is wrong. Sans says nothing to them as they approach.

They worry over him for a few minutes, but when he doesn't respond they just sit beside him, occasionally stroking his SOUL in an attempt to comfort him. Sans shudders, swallowing and pulling his jacket tighter around himself.

_ ‘....master..?’  _ He timidly opens the Bonder connection.

‘ _I'm on my way back.’_ They sound much less annoyed this time. ‘ _What is it?_ ’

Sans’s chin trembles,  _ ‘...i miss you..’ _

There’s surprise, first, then the unmistakable feeling of satisfaction. ‘ _ I will be there soon _ .’ They reassure. ‘ _ Everything went well. _ ’ 

_ ‘th-that’s good...uhm wh..wh-what happens now, master?’ _

‘ _ I got Daddy to adopt me like I had wanted, so I'll be bringing you to the castle. You're gonna have to spend a couple days in the dungeon. _ ’ 

_ ‘the d...wh..wh-why wh...c-can you p-please t-tell me what the p-plan is, h-here…?’ _

‘ _Well_ _I have to make breaking you look realistic don't I? Daddy would never let me keep an unbroken pet in my bedroom. Too dangerous. So I’m gonna bring you home and you'll spend a couple days in the dungeon. When I get to you I'll be casting a spell that should hide your Split for a couple days, then I'll undo it when it's time to bring you back upstairs. Daddy won't be any the wiser, in fact, he'll probably be proud of me for Splitting you so quickly!_ ’ 

_ ‘......c-can i eat f-first…?’  _ His time with Tem had even further exhausted him. He feels like he can barely manage to stand.

‘ _ Nope! _ ’ They say brightly. ‘ _ But you can sleep on the way to the castle. It'll look like I knocked you out. _ ’

Sans swallows, rubbing at his empty stomach. He slowly raises his eyes to look at the monster sitting behind the counter, looking stupidly innocent. “...h-hey…?” He calls weakly.

“YEs?” 

“...c..c-can i p-please h-have something t-to eat?” Even Tem flakes were at least better than nothing.

“YoU Gun PAy for iT?” 

Sans winces, scrounging his jacket pockets for at least 1g. He finds pocket lint and nothing else. “...i...i-i don’t have a-any money…”

“TeM CoUlD PlAy WIth CutE SkElLie gAiNs?” 

“....i..i-i dunno i...i-i’m k-kinda h-headed for the d-dungeon in a m-minute…”

“ToO BaD. No MUns No FoOd.” 

Sans shuts his eyes,  _ ‘uh i...c-can i have just a f-few more minutes here? please master? i...i-i’m g-gonna miss not being in the dungeon…’ _

_ ‘I am fifteen or so minutes away. That’s how long you have.’  _

“...we...w-we c-can play again…”

“YaY!1!1”

Sans tenses, avoiding Frisk’s questioning look. “f-feed me f-first…?”

“NoPE!” 

“...i d-don’t have enough m-magic to...t-to play with, th-then…”

“AwwwW.. FInEs.” They toss a package of Temmie Flakes over the counter. Sans tears it open and shoves it in his mouth, giving a shaky sigh of relief as the growling in his stomach fades just slightly. He doesn’t notice the hard, chalky taste over his desperate hunger luckily.

Now if only he could stall Temmie long enough that Chara arrives before he can be violated again. The thing’s creepy as fuck eyes are on him, watching him eat.

“...F-Frisk d..d-do you m-mind just..r-runnin’ off f-for a bit..?”

They look worriedly at him. “You sure?” 

“y-yeah...g-get some...f-fresh air o-or something...w-we’ll be down in th-that basement for a while, so...e-enjoy freedom while you got it…?”

They are clearly unconvinced, but they do as he asks. He gives a sigh of relief and slouches back, but tenses as Tem draws close again.

Time to pay the piper.

  
  


Chara returns barely a minute after he’s gotten his shorts back on. Sans staggers to his feet, holding his head and shutting one eye as he shuffles up to the child, “h-hey m-master…”

“Were you a good boy for Temmie?” 

Sans gives a surprisingly violent shudder, clutching at his arms and nodding, “y-y-yes…”

Chara frowns slightly, remembering his call for help the day before. They’d been in the middle of a fight for their life, so hadn’t paid it much mind at the time since he’d said there was no danger… But it’s something they’ll have to look into. Later. “Good. Come on, we’ve got a long walk ahead.”

Sans mutes his weary sigh and simply nods instead, following after with his head down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oneshot will be posted whenever Trash Mom gets home
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/8537962
> 
> Here's the thing


	3. I Miss You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the conditioning does itself.

After a while of walking through Waterfall, Chara insists on carrying him. They want him asleep, he remembers. So that he looks unconscious. He has little doubt they’ll just knock him out if he doesn’t manage it.  Obediently he goes limp in their arms, shutting his eyes and all too happily forgetting reality.

 

He only wakes up once he’s set on a familiar cold grate floor. He’d thought he would start crying, but all he can bring himself to do is curl up tighter and hide his face in his arms. He overhears mocking and taunting directed at him by the prisoners in separate cells, but ignores it. Everything they’re saying are things he already knows to be true.

Chats fiddles with his wrist and a glance reveals the magic core locked on his wrist.

“I'll be back later~.” He hears them hum.

“b-bye master..” Sans says weakly, “..d-don’t take t-too long, okay?”

“Shush Sansy.” They say softly. “The cameras are watching.”

“..s-sorry…”

They sweep out of the cell, flipping off a jeering inmate. Sans huddles up in the far corner, drawing his jacket more tightly over himself and shivering. They’ll be back when he wakes up, he promises himself. He just has to go back to sleep…

A tall order when it's so loud and he's just woken up. He's incredibly used to the silence of an empty Underground. The jeering of the other monsters thunders in his metaphorical ears. He braces his hands over the sides of his head as he pulls his hood up, trying to block it out.

He almost misses being alone in his kennel. At least it would be quiet, just him and his thoughts. However depressing they were. 

He hopes Chara comes back soon. That would be great. 

 

Chara is not having a good time. They are incredibly bored. 

_ They've sat through all of these lessons before _ ! 

And yet that is all they are doing. Lesson after lesson on how to rule the Underground. According to their Daddy, they ‘had a lot to make up’. While the refresher course was actually kind of useful, they were worried about leaving Sans for as long as they had. It's been three days already, and they haven't found time to visit him even once.

 

Sans lifts his head as he hears the dungeon door open, “Chara!” He cries out in spite of his dry, weak voice.

Somebody enters, but Sans can't actually see them at first. 

After they step into the light he realizes it's not Chara. It's an armored guard dragging another monster.

The cell Chara put him in is small, but it was definitely made to house at least two prisoners. Sans scoots back to the far corner, feeling his chest shudder as anxiety rises.

_ ‘Chara? master? there’s...wh-when are you going to be back?’  _

No response. Of course. After the second time in the past three days of him asking that question Chara had yelled at him and shut the connection off. Chara had done it to prevent that ugly feeling of guilt, but Sans took it to mean that maybe they’d gotten bored of him already and weren’t ever coming back. Still he tries to talk to them quite often, and most especially now.

He doesn’t know how he’s going to deal with a cellmate.

The monster who’s shoved into his cell is presumably female by the dress and big clunky boots she’s wearing, and covered in lavender fur. Her back and the back of her head is covered in sharp spines, and vibrant green eyes framed by a pair of triangular ears above them glare at the guard. 

“I was only fuckin’ pickpocketin’, what the fuck is your deal, huh?” 

The cell door slams. 

Sans flinches. At least this one seems to be from Hotland. Good. She won’t recognize him as someone that ‘used to be tough’.

She turns to look at him. “Whatcha in for, luv?” 

“i...i-i d-dunno…” Sans swallows and looks away. Chara hadn’t exactly told him what he was supposed to be ‘in for’. Just that he had to wait here.

She rolls her eyes, kicking back against the wall. “What are ya, scared? How’re ya even alive right now if ya’re this frightened of a simple question?”

“n-not scared…” He lies pathetically.

She scoffs. “Ya’re a ‘orrible liar, luv. I can smell ya fear from ova’ here. Ya got a Split, too.” 

Sans immediately puts his hands over his chest, breath hitching in panic, “d-don’t..”

“Don't  _ what _ , luv? Ahll I did was mention it!” 

“w-well  _ don’t _ !” Sans whispers, looking around nervously at the beady eyes fixated on his shared cell.

He doesn't see her move, but she’s suddenly  _ right on top of him _ , face an inch from his and hands around his throat. “Listen ‘ere, Splits. Ya don't talk ta me like that. Ya don't order me about.  **_Got it_ ** ?”

Sans yelps, putting his hands over his mouth and nodding, shutting his eyes, “y-y-yes i-i g-g-got i-it i-i-i’m s-sorry i-i’m s-sorry p-please d-d-don’t h-hurt m-me i-i’m s-sorry…!”

There's laughter from the other cells, a shout of “Good one, Nyx!” and several cried suggestions of what she should do with him.

“p..p-please d-don’t hurt m-me i-i-i’m s-sorry i y-yelled i sh-shouldn’t have y-yelled i-it won’t h-happen again…”

The woman seems to have only been empowered by the shouts of their fellow prisoners, as she smirks at him. “I think the boys want a bit of a show luv.”

Sans’s eyes tear up and he sobs, “p-please please n-no…”

She laughs. “Seriously, luv, how are you even alive?” Without waiting for an answer, she grabs him by the wrist. “Let’s have some  _ fun _ , Splits. I always did want to know what would happen if you broke a skeleton’s bones.”

“no! n-no no p-please i-i’m b-begging you p-please i d-don’t want to b-break i-i’m t-too weak to h-handle pain i-i’m too p-pathetic p-please m-ma’am i d-don’t...p-please, please p-please please n-no!”

_ Snap _ !

“Ya beggin’s cute and all, kid, but I'd rather hear ya screamin’.”

He’s all too quick to oblige, the sound echoing around the cell loudly as he begs his HP to drop to 0. But the magic core on his arm forbids that from happening.

 

Above him, Frisk panics and shoots through the ceiling. If Chara won't listen to Sans, they'll have to find a way to get them themself. They have no clue how to do that though.

 

“p-please...p-please s-stop i’ll d-do wh-whatever you w-want j-just s-stop h-hurting m-me…” Sans weeps, trying to shield his unbroken arm from her as she makes a grab for it.

“Shush.” She laughs, snagging it and snapping it in a single motion. “Ya’re cute, I'll give ya that, Splits.” 

 

Chara flops onto their bed. They're exhausted. They've been exhausted every single night. Too tired to go and see their puppy. It's too long of a walk for them to want to do. But they're getting rather concerned. They can feel him beating desperately on the link, trying to get though. 

 

Maybe they should go check on him. 

Yeah.

 

It's not like they're worried. 

 

They just want to make sure he hasn't forgotten who he belongs to. 

 

Right. 

 

… They don't believe their own thoughts for a moment. 

 

The human stands and yawns, stumbling to the door.

 

“p-please p-please p-please…!”

The last of his ribs comes apart with a muted snap, and the hedgehog girl-- now splattered in marrow-- giggles.

Sans falls to his knees, his face soaked in tears, “p-please…” He hiccups, “s-stop...p-please…”

 

“What the actual fuck is going on here?!” A familiar voice shrieks, and his cellmate suddenly squeaks as a shining blade protrudes from her chest, thrown by the human storming down the hall. She crumbles into dust without a further sound.

Sans falls back, holding his hands over his broken chest and sobbing in relief, “m-master...m-master m-master h-help m-me p-please..!”

 

Chara’s mentally going through ways to fix this mess even as they unlock the cell and dart in, carefully picking him up. All their carefully laid schemes are in ruins, but it's still salvageable. They just need to calm Sans down so they can reload. He clings to them, burying his face in their sweater and sobbing.

“it h-h-h-hurt i-i-it h-hurts i-it h-h-h-hurts m-m-master p-p-please…!”

“Shh…” They try to calm him with soothing pulses of magic as they carry him out of the cellblock. “I know, I know…”

“m-m-make i-i-it s-s-stop i-i-i’m s-s-sorry f-f-for wh-whatever i d-d-did j-just t-tell m-m-me wh-what i d-d-did w-w-wrong i-i-i’ll ap-p-polgize f-f-for i-i-it p-please…!”

The room that Chara had previously commandeered as a ‘training room’ for Sans is pretty much empty, just a storage space for old tools and chains. They enter it and kick the door shut behind them, breathing a sigh of relief now that the cameras are no longer on them. They only have a few minutes to calm Sans down before someone comes looking for them. 

“You didn't do anything wrong, it's my fault, I'm sorry for leaving you so long Sansy…” They try to soothe, petting him. “I need you to breathe okay? In your nose, out your mouth. I can't reload until you're calm.” 

He hiccups instead, struggling to control his breathing. It gets worse the longer he can’t do it, and he begins fearing repercussions. He sobs out apologies and promises that he’s trying but he can’t do it. It hurts too much.

Chara takes a breath, forcing themself to remain calm. ‘ _ RELAX _ .’ They send the command over the bond, overloading it as much as they can.

Sans cries out quietly, drawing in his arms and legs and holding still for a moment before collapsing limply into the ground like a rag doll, his eyelights going out.

“I'm going to reload, alright? It won't hurt anymore. It'll be four hours before I can come get you once I do.” That should be enough time to clear out this room if they hurry. 

“h...h-hurry...p-please…”

“I will, I promise.” 

 

There's a moment where time stands still, and he’s alone in his cell the night before. Sans gasps, bracing his hand over his chest and backing up into the corner, hiding in the shadows and curling up.

_ ‘are you still mad at me master?’ _

_ ‘No. I wasn't mad at you. Daddy’s been keeping me busy.’ _

_ ‘why were you ignoring me?’ _

_ ‘Lessons on ruling a kingdom aren't exactly  _ easy _ , Sansy. You were distracting me.’ _

_ ‘...i’m sorry..’  _ Even his thoughts are timid whispers. 

That's okay, though. That's what Chara wants. 

‘ _ I will be setting up the training room like before. _ ’

_ ‘o-okay master..’ _

‘ _ I will be there after a few hours. _ ’ 

_ ‘i miss you..’ _

There’s a pause. ‘ _ Once I move you out of the camera view, you might be able to convince me to give you some cuddles. _ ’ 

‘ _ please please please please please please…!’ _

‘ _ Hush now _ .’ Chara says, not unkindly. ‘ _ I have to get to work clearing out this room. _ ’

He sits up, _ ’y-you're already down here? i d-didn’t see you…’ _

‘ _ That's because I didn't come see you.’ _

_ ‘i can help! c-come get me i can help you with the room…’ _

‘ _ No, Sansy. I need you to stay put. There aren't any cameras in the room, but there are some in the hallway, so if I move you before it’s set up they'll know.’ _

_ ‘so? so what if they know i’m with my master? it's because you'll be training me they'll think you're training me that's all that's it-’ _

_ ‘Shhh, don't get upset Sansy. I won't be long. I have to do this right or I might have to spend even longer without letting you come upstairs.’  _ Chara sighs. Sans seems… a bit more broken than the last time they'd seen him. A bit more desperate.

_ ‘i can help…’ _

‘ _ You can help by sitting quietly and waiting like a good puppy. _ ’

_ ‘i miss you i’m sorry…’ _

_ ‘I know, I won't be long. I'd take even less time if you were quiet.’ _

Sans bites at his knuckles, whimpering and forcing himself to stay silent. “i’m sorry…”

The monster in the cell across from him-- the one Sans distinctly remembers Chara stabbing right before they'd begun to train him-- laughs. “Look at the little skellie! Who're you apologizing to, the wall?” 

“sh-shut up…”

“Nice comeback.”

“m-mind your own b-business, h-huh?”

The guy just laughs. “You're a cute one. I'd like to crack your skull under my boot.”

“d-don’t belong t-to you..” Sans draws in his knees, “n-not y-yours to b-break…”

“What?” Genuine confusion colored the guy’s tone, but Sans just shook his head and refused to speak further. Chara would come for him soon enough. He wouldn’t have to talk to anyone else again.

 

It was several hours before he heard from them. 

‘ _ Sans, I'm sending somebody to come pick you up. I need you to… not act excited okay? Act like you're angry, like you would've before I started training you.’ _

Sans sat up again, feeling his tail wagging from where it was hidden in his shorts, ‘ _ i’m gonna see you again?!’ _

‘ _ Cool it or no pets for you!’  _

_ ‘i missed you i missed you i missed you-!’ _

‘ _ Sans calm the fuck down right now!’ _

Sans whimpers and curls up, wrapping his arms over his waist and feeling his chin tremble.

‘ _ If this isn't done right I'll have to reload and it will be even longer before I can see you.’ _

_ ‘...i-i’m sorry…’ _

‘ _ Don't just be sorry. Do as you're told.’ _

_ ‘...i can act numb i d...i d-don’t know if i can act angry…’ _

‘ _ Numb will work.’ _

Sans closes his eyes and relaxes against the wall, rubbing at his sternum. His trembling from excitement can be mistaken as fear, he hopes.

 

The door opens after a few moments, and a guard enters the cellblock, toting a magic dampening collar. Sans shudders, scooting back further into the corner.

“Which one of you is Sans Serif?” They demand in a gruff voice.

Should he raise his hand? Call out? It doesn’t seem like those are good choices.

Instead he slowly gets to his feet, shakingly approaching the cell door.

“Well. Looks like we have a volunteer.”

“wh..wh-what d-do you w-want…?” What’s something a prisoner desperate to not be with his captor would say… “...a-am i g-going home…?”

The guard barks out a laugh, armor rattling as he yanks Sans out of the cell by his hood. “You wish, little one. The new Prinx has decided to single you out for some  _ special attention _ .”

“o-oh…” Luckily his face isn’t being watched, but he keeps his head ducked anyway to avoid letting his desperately excited expression show up on any cameras. He fiddles with his hands as he’s carried away, his toes scraping the floor. The walk to the training room never seemed like this long before…

The door’s in sight after a while, and Sans has to resist the urge to run to it. Not that he can put his feet on the ground anyway of course. He puts his hands to his mouth, biting at his knuckles as it’s opened and he’s set down on the floor. He has to lock up his knees to keep from moving.

“Do you need anything else, your highness?”

“I'll be fine.” Chara says, not-so-gently shoving the man towards the door and out. “I know what I'm doing, thanks for the dampener, tell Daddy I'll see him in the morning, bye!” They slam the door on him, and it locks with a click.

Sans collapses to his knees and immediately throws his arms around their waist, burying his face against their stomach and sobbing.

“Oh, Sansy, surely it wasn't  _ that _ bad.”

“i-i-i-i’m p-p-pathetic i-i’m s-sorry i...th-they d-d-didn’t f-feed m-me th-they b-broke m-me they w...i n...i m-missed you i m-missed you p-please please p-pet m-me m-master p-please…!” He desperately rubs his head against their side, weeping, “p-please please please!”

Chara frowns, gently rubbing the top of his skull. Sans’s crying gradually dissolves into pathetic sniffling, but his breath hitches every time they take their hand away for more than a second.

How the hell did he break this badly?

“h-h-h-how l-l-l-long u-u-u-until y-y-y-you l-leave m-m-me a-again…?”fin

“A few hours.”

Sans nods, his legs shaking as he collapses to his feet. He can’t even stay on his knees for very long. He reaches for them, trying to get back to his knees and continually falling.

Chara sighs and pulls a couple cookies out of their inventory. Sans’s eyes widen and he shifts to his trained begging position, weakly wagging his tail.

Chara tosses them onto the floor in front of him. “Good boy.” 

He doesn’t even attempt to eat with his hands. He immediately eats off of the floor with his mouth, nearly swallowing each piece whole.

“Chew, Sans! I don't want you to choke!” 

He flinches, slowing down just slightly.

Chara sighs and sits on the floor beside his kennel. He finishes and looks up at them, crawling forward, “...i..i-is something w-wrong did i d-do something w-wrong…?”

“No, I just didn't want to stand anymore.” They pat their lap.

He curls up in it immediately, giving a shaky sigh and closing his eyes. As much as he want to fall asleep, though, he stays awake - he doesn’t want to miss any of this kindness. Their petting of him slows and he quickly starts purring.

He hears Chara give a little squee and they scratch the back of his neck at the base of his skull. “You're adorable, little puppy.”

His tail thumps quietly and steadily against the floor and he rolls onto his back, leg twitching as they scratch under his chin, “m-mph... _ krr.. _ ”

Chara honestly isn't sure how to handle what they're seeing. He’s either acting like a mutt because he knows they find it cute, or this is how he actually reacts to petting and affection which is frankly hilarious. It's completely worth going to all of this effort to see one of the Underground’s best fighters cuddling like a kitten.

His eyes glaze over as they continue petting him, and he forces sentient thoughts further and further from his mind to keep back all treacherous thoughts of self-respect. This is his life now. He’s already accepted that. This is how it is.

He might as well enjoy it.

Chara’s hand brushes over his cheek and without even thinking about it he laps once at their palm, eyes half-closed. They giggle. 

It's quiet for a little while, the human and their pet just relaxing for the moment. Chara knows it won't last-- they have every intention of making sure he’s blinded before they leave tonight. They glance down and jolt a little when they see that he’s  _ smiling _ . He hasn’t smiled like that since…

...well...since they were on the Surface..

… They'll give him a few days. 


	4. Jealousy Isn't Rational

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara gets jealous and thinks of the worst possible punishment.

“...i...i-i didn’t forget…” Sans eventually forces himself to speak up, watching the wall of the training room and avoiding Chara’s eyes.

“You didn't forget what?”

“...i failed…” Sans’s voice starts shaking, “i-i d-d-didn’t g-g-get u-us t-t-to th-the T-Tem V-Village l-like y-y-you o-ordered m-me to i kn...i kn-know y-y-you g-gotta...h-hurt m-m-me a-again…”

Chara nods pensively. “... I'll make you a deal, Sansy?” 

Slowly he turns his head to look at them with his wide, frightened eyes, “y..y-yes master…?”

“You get two choices.” They hold up two fingers. “You can pick if you want me to do it tomorrow, or when I move you upstairs. And you can pick if I take your eyesight or your feet.” 

“..wh...d-do you kn-know wh-when i-i’m m-moving upstairs m-master…?”

“Probably about a week? It depends on how often I can get down here.”

“...o-oh…” Sans swallows, ghosting a finger over his sockets and curling in his legs. He likes having his feet...he feels broken enough without literal pieces of him missing. Of course being blinded removes his magic usage...but with Chara being in such tight control of him he probably won’t be using that anyway…

...he won’t have to see those judging stares and leers like in his nightmares if he’s blind.

“...i….i-i-i’d r-r-rather b-b-be b-blind, m-master…”

“Alright.” They say simply. “And when?” 

“d..d-don’t w-wanna b-be blind d-down here, th...th-these inmates, th…” Sans braces a fist against his mouth, “....i-i-i d-d-don’t w-wanna sh-share a c-cell again, i..i-i-i kn-know you c-can’t d-d-do anything a-a-about it,  m-master i-i’m sorry f..f-for complaining i..i-i-i’m j-just r-really s-scared…” He’s actively trembling in their lap, terrified of the consequences of his admission. 

Chara scratches under his chin. “No worries, little puppy. You'll be staying in your kennel for the rest of the time you're down here. Nobody else will be able to get in this room. Just me. You'll be safe.”

Sans gives a loud sigh of relief, nuzzling their hand, “a..a-and y...y-you’ll a-answer if..i-if i t-t..t-tell y-you th-there’s a p-problem, r-right, m-master..?”

Chara frowns. It seems most of the time Sans has had an issue they've ignored him… and while it's led to this adorable clingy model of Sansy, they don't really think it's wise to continue down that path. They are uncomfortably aware they promised to protect him, and haven't done a very good job delivering on that. “As long as you do not bother me unnecessarily.”

“n..n-no just i d...s-some of...o-of these guards, y-y’know? th...th-they w-won’t k-kill me, but…” Sans swallows and looks away. 

“They will not have access to this room. But if you are being harmed in any way, I want you to call me. I will reload immediately if you are in danger, and then come down as soon as possible, alright?”

“a..a-any way..?”

“Yes….”

“even if..i-if it’s n-not hurting m-my HP…”

“Sansy, there is not a lot that  _ can _ hurt your HP with that bracelet on. If you're using that as your benchmark, you won't ever need to call for help. So yes, even if it is not hurting your HP, if someone gets in here and harms you you may call for help.”

“i..i-i’m s-sorry i...i-it’s j-just wh...when Tem...i t-tried to..to call y-you b-but i w-wasn’t in d-danger s-so you g-got mad…” His voice gets smaller and smaller. 

Chara frowns, and their hand stills. “Sansy. What did she do to you?”

His mouth opens but he freezes up. He starts shaking, his breath hitching as his eyelights shrink. 

“ _ Sans _ .”

Tears start forming in his eyes and he hides his face against their sweater, “i-i’m s-sorry i-i’m t-trying t-to s-say it w-words n-not c-coming o-out…”

Chara sighs again, rubbing the back of his neck. “Breathe, Sansy.”

“c...c-can i h-have...a-am i a g-good boy, s-still…?” Sans hints, looking up at them shyly. 

Chara looks confused for a brief second before comprehension dawns on their face. “If you want me to reward you, you need to take the plunge. Just tell me Sansy. Whatever it is, I won’t be mad. And then you can have your praise.”

His eyes slowly close.

_ ‘one, two, three.’  _ “sh-she r-raped me…”

Chara’s fingers briefly tighten on his neck, but they go slack almost immediately as they wrestle their sudden fury into submission. They are not mad at him. They are not mad at him.  _ They are not mad at him _ , and they need to remember that.

In a tight, controlled voice, they offer the praise and the comforting feelings in his SOUL that they’d promised. “Thank you for telling me. You’re a good boy, Sansy.”

The tightness in his shoulders fades and he presses his head against their hand, giving a shaky purr. 

“See, that’s wasn’t so bad. And now I have a new thing to add to my to-do list for the week… How would you like a new toy, Sansy?” They have a bit of an idea, if they get a see-through ball and fill it with dust and glitter it’ll make something neat and shiny for him to chase after… It would be cute. And they knew exactly where to get that dust.

“a….a-a toy…?”

“A ball, for you to chase around. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

That sounds really tedious. But that's not the answer they want to hear. “...y-yes m-master...th-thank you.”

The human chuckles, running a hand over his back. “I cannot wait until I can get you clean, you’re filthy. I’m going to have to change once I get upstairs.”

Sans ducks his head, “..i-i’m s-sorry...th..th-they don't even g-give us water, i...i-it’s so d-dirty and th-there’s s-so much b-blood and d-d-dust…”

“I know. I bet you’re looking forward to a bath, too, hmm?” 

They know? ..they know. Of course they know.

“...y..y-yes m-master th..th-that sounds r-really nice…”

“It’ll have to wait until I can move you, of course, but we’ll make it a priority, alright? First thing once I get you set up, a nice warm bath. Maybe with bubbles.”

“f...f-food…?” Just saying the word makes his stomach growl.

“I’ll bring you some in the morning. Something warm. How does that sound?”

Sans shuts his eyes, giving a small whimper and nodding. 

“Alright.” They attempt to nudge him off their lap.

He gives a quiet whine but sits back, sniffing and crawling to the kennel without prompting.

Chara doesn’t lock him in. They don’t exactly need to, they know he won’t leave. “Goodnight, Sweetie.”

“n-night master…”

They slip out the door, and Sans hears the lock click. Sans curls up tightly, shrugging off his jacket so he can cling to it, and buries his face in the soft fabric, giving a shaky sigh. Everything’s going to be alright, now.

“Sans?” Frisk’s voice asks above him. “You doing alright?”

Sans’s eyes open wide and he turns his head to stare at them, expression surprised, “...Frisk…?”

“Yeah. Sorry I haven't been very… vocal. I figured you were getting enough shit without talking to yourself.”

“...i was alone..”

“I'm sorry.”

“why...why w-weren’t you there..”

“I can't exactly choose when you can see me! And when you could I either couldn't get you to respond or you were being picked on and I didn't want to make it worse!”

He flinches sharply at their raised voice and buries his face in his jacket again, curling up tighter and trembling.

Frisk sighs, settling next to the cage and reaching in to touch his SOUL. “...m’sorry, Sans…” They rub circles on it with their thumb.

If he’d seen them reaching for it he would have pressed away, as he’s learned to associate yelling with pain. But they manage to take him by surprise. Sans sighs at the soothing sensation, hugging his jacket tighter and giving a soft purr.

Frisk stares at him for a moment, not really registering what's in front of them… then giggles. He’s so cute…

Sans gives a bit of a goofy smile at the impulses Frisk is unintentionally sending into his SOUL, purring louder and tilting his head.

They can't help but coo. When did Sans get so adorable? His eyes seem wider than they used to be…

Sans wags his tail and Frisk laughs, rubbing at his SOUL again to keep up his purring.

It's… odd. He’s happy. They haven't seen him this happy in a while. They know… they know it's wrong. That he’s been conditioned to behave like this. But he's  _ happy _ . 

“mmph...th-thanks…” Sans murmurs, his leg twitching.

“...you’re welcome.” Frisk says softly, watching his face. 

“f-feels nice..” 

They remember him telling them that even dogs feel love. He gives another purr and reaches out a hand to them. Guilt crawls through them. This is wrong, this is  _ sick _ ... 

“F-Frisk..”

They try to touch him. They can’t resist, he looks so desperate… And to their surprise, their fingers connect with bone.

Sans gives a quiet gasp, hesitating only a second before grabbing their hand tightly. 

Frisk stares at their joined hands for a moment, confusion coloring their expression. They’re still leaning through the bars of the kennel. It’s extremely strange to be physically touching Sans while they are phasing through a solid object.

Their confusion only gets worse when Sans places their hand on his skull. “p-please..”

Frisk finds themself facing an extreme moral dilema now. They want to make Sans feel better, but they don’t… They know that this is not okay. That if they start petting him like Chara they’ll be sliding down a slippery slope with no way back up.

Somewhere, in the back of their mind, a mocking voice that sounds a heck of a lot like Flowey points out that they already were cooing over how cute he is and trying to gain more purring. Haven’t they already started down that slope? … It’ll make Sans happy…

Their hand begins to move. He pushes his head against their hand, his eyes closing tightly and his tail wagging weakly in his shorts. 

Frisk smiles wanly. “Do you really like this, Sans?”

“y-yes master..”

They freeze. He opens one eye. “...d...d-did i s-say something w-wrong…?”

“Sans.” Frisk’s voice is shaking. “I'm not Chara--”

He looks confused, “...i….i know…?”

“... Why did you call me master?”

“y...you…” His brow furrows, “...th-that’s..it’s wh-what you are…?”

Frisk stares at him.  _ What _ . In a voice colored with forced calm, they ask, “When did you decide that?” 

“...i...i-is that w-wrong i-i’m sorry, i...wh-what else a-am i supposed to think…?”

“No, no, no! It's okay, it's okay, I'm just confused.” And now they'd upset him. Great.

“...i’m sorry..”

“Why am I your master, Sans? What made you think that?” 

“i….i-i don’t kn-know, d..d-don’t you w-want to be? i-isn’t that wh-why you’re d-doing this?”

“I…” Frisk frowns. They want to say they wanted him to feel better, but… it feels like that would be a lie. They only continued because his reactions were cute.

Cute like a cat or a dog.

“Do you want… Do you want me to be?”

“wh...wh-what’s the r-right answer…?”

“The true one.”

Sans doesn’t seem to know how to interpret that. “...this...this is what  _ you  _ w-wanted, isn’t it? th-that’s wh-why you’ve b-been working w-with th-them..”

“No, I--” Frisk deflates slightly. “I never wanted you hurt. I don't know  _ what  _ I want anymore. Sans, I've never exactly been mentally stable. That's why-- that's why I fell in the first place. It's… hard to think the way I want to. To be a good person. That's why I'm asking you what  _ you _ want. Because I can't understand my own thoughts right now.”

“...i don’t e-even have m-my own thoughts anymore..”

Frisk sighs. “Just… if it makes you feel better, you can call me Master. If it doesn't, you don't have to.” 

“...i d-don’t feel anything a-about it..”

Frisk has a strong urge to slam their forehead into a wall. Unfortunately, there are no solid walls for them to do so with. 

Sans senses their anger regardless and curls away from them, starting to tremble.

Frisk grits their teeth. Why must every interaction with him be like pulling teeth? 

He covers his face with his jacket, hugging it tightly.

“Sans, I want to know what you want.” 

“i w-want wh-what m-my m-master w-wants..!”

“ _ Sans _ !”

_ ‘Chara!’ _

‘ _ What is it?’  _

_ ‘they're going to hurt me they're going to hurt my SOUL i made them mad and they're going to hurt me!’ _

_ ‘Who?’ _

_ ‘F-Frisk!’ _

_ ‘Shit, I’ll be right down!’  _ Chara’s mental voice is panicked, and the connection closes.

Sans whimpers, trying to call his SOUL back to his body but unable to do so with the magic dampener around his neck. 

Frisk feels his attempt, though, and shoves the damaged heart back at him. Sans grabs it immediately and wraps his arms around it, shielding it as best he can.

“I’m sorry!”

Sans doesn’t register the apology - just that they’re still yelling.

Frisk attempts to bang their head on the floor. It’s an endeavor doomed to failure before it even begins.

_ ‘Chara they’re mad i made them mad i don’t know what i did i thought i said everything right..!’ _

‘ _ What were you two even up to? _ ’ Chara demands.

_ ‘i...th-they just...i w-was only l-letting th-them p-pet me…’ _

‘... _ Start from the beginning.’  _

_ ‘...i...th-they c-came to visit...i...i a-asked wh-why th..th-they h-hadn’t visited b-before...a-and they g-got mad s-so i s-stopped a-asking and th-they started petting m-my SOUL and..a-and then th-they started...they touched me th-they were able to touch me and...a-and i called them m-master and they got upset…’ _

‘ _ You called them Master?’ _

_ ‘...i’m sorry…’ _

_ ‘Why did you do it, little puppy?’ _

_ ‘...th..th-they were petting me a-and...th-that’s wh-what they were a-acting like they weren’t acting like my k...like…….’  _ Sans’s thoughts go silent.

‘Sans,  _ must you always make me pry answers out of you?!’ _

_ ‘...wh...wh-what am i becoming….’ _

‘ _ My loyal little lapdog, of course.’  _ Chara says calmly, though there is a tinge of smugness in the emotions from the bond.

_ ‘...i...i used to be a dad to them...oh my gods…’ _ Sans’s breathing gets heavy as the full weight of his recent behavior hits him.

‘ _ And?’ _

“...Frisk…”

“Yes?” The human says, looking over at him from where they were still trying to slam their forehead on a solid object.

“...i..i-i’m sorry...i’m so sorry, kid…” His eyes squint up, his expression containing the most sentience they’ve seen in a long time, “..i’m so sorry…”

“...It’s alright… It’s not your fault....” Frisk’s stomach does a flip as they find themself almost wishing that that little spark of self was  _ gone _ , because right now there’s so much pain in his expression that they want to cry.

“..you…” Sans looks away, “...you d..you d-don’t have to watch this...you d..you don’t need to s-see this happen to me, i...i c-can’t...i d-don’t know what it’s like, for you, to...i’m so sorry, kid, i’m...i’m so, so sorry…”

“... I promised I would stay with you. I promised I would love you.” Frisk says softly. “I’m not one to break promises.”

“..is that gonna make this any easier, though?”

“I spared my way through this hellhole. ‘Easy’ has never been a requirement for me…” 

“this isn’t something that..that can be undone, Frisk, it’s not...trial and error this..th-this is just g-gonna happen…”

“I know.”

“...i don’t w-wanna hurt you anymore..”

“And I don’t want to leave, to be alone and unable to speak or be seen, and wonder how you are doing and what is happening to you.”

Sans closes his eyes, “...i’m not gonna be much for company, much longer…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“...i called for Chara.” Sans mutters. 

Frisk curses. They can actually hear footsteps in the hall.

“i was panicking, i’m sorry, i thought...i thought you were gonna hurt me…”

“I know, it's-”

The door slams open. “Sansy?” 

Sans flinches violently, “...h-hey…”

Chara stares at him a moment, taking in his trembling and his shrunken eyelights. The look on his face is familiar. “Is my puppy having a relapse~?

Sans swallows, staring at his lap and twisting his hands together, “..y..y-yes…”

The human lets out a short laugh. “Well at least you're honest. And here I thought I'd beaten all sense of self out of you!”

Sans shuts his eyes, drawing in his shoulders in apprehension. 

“Come.” They point to the spot on the mat in front of them. “Sit.”

Sans crawls out of the kennel, sitting on the designated spot, his knees bent up and his palms flat in front of him. 

“Now, what was  _ darling _ Frisk up to?” 

Sans glances over his shoulder, “...d..did you w-wanna talk to them…?”

Chara shrugs, “It doesn't really matter to me.” Then, without warning, their foot swings around to slam into his side.

Sans, without thinking,  _ dodges _ .

Chara stares at the spot he had been in in utter shock for a moment. 

Then the anger sets in. Frisk is forgotten in favor of their dumb, disobedient  _ mutt _ . “You shouldn't have done that.” 

Sans stares in shock at the spot on the mat that he just jumped from, “...th-that was an accident…”

“And I'm a fucking butterfly.” Chara snarls, snapping their fingers. Electricity lances through his SOUL, and Sans screams.

“Now what should I do with my naughty puppy?” Chara asks, tilting their head like a curious kitten. “I'm already going to blind you, so that’s out. Maybe I should cut off your feet again?.... but no, I'll save that… maybe I could hand you over to those guards after all, seeing as you had no problem with giving into a  _ fucking Temmie _ …” 

Sans looks up from the floor, staring at them in horrified shock. 

“You'd like that, wouldn't you?” Chara mocks. “Some  _ quality time _ with other people? I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find a taker or two.”

“..Chara…”

“ **_Wrong answer_ ** .” They hiss, stalking over.

Sans scoots back, holding his arm up over his face, “Ch-Chara p-please-!”

They change course, snatching the familiar shape of the muzzle off of the table. “If you won't address me properly, you won't speak at all, mutt!” They snap, coming over to him. “But if I put this on you, you lose any chance you had at talking me out of your punishment.” 

“m..m-master p-please d-don’t g-give me t-to the g-guards...i-i’m s-sorry i d-dodged i-it was j-just instinct, i…” Sans feels his eyes well up, “T-Tem already r-” His eyes cut to the confused but concerned Frisk and he swallows the word, “..t-twice she h-hurt me _ twice _ d-don’t let the g-guards h-have me,  _ please _ !”

“Hmph.” Chara grunts noncommittally, kneeling down. “Open up for the bit, Sansy.” They hold the muzzle to his face.

He obeys, shoulders slumping. 

_ ‘Frisk, leave..’ _

But they can't hear his thoughts, and so they come closer, worried, as Chara laces up the device. He risks using his hands to sign the message instead. 

Chara stomps on his left hand, hearing several cracks. 

Sans screams through the gag,  _ ‘master please i don't want them to see this happen to me!’ _

‘ _ And I don't care _ .’ They shrug, stomping on his other hand for good measure. They shove him into the kennel unceremoniously, kicking the door shut and locking it. “If you want your clothing to be intact after this I recommend you get them off now.” They smirk at his snapped fingers, turning on their heels and walking out the door.

_ ‘..no…’  _ This can't be happening. This can't be…

Sans manages to force his body into enough cooperation to shed his jacket, shaking badly as he scoots into the far corner of his cage, holding himself and sobbing. No no no no no..

_ ‘please..’ _

‘ _You_ _brought this on yourself, Sansy. You should have just taken the kick, it was a simple reminder to address your master with the proper respect.’_

_ ‘kick me all you want master please don't let this happen to me!’ _

_ ‘I don't want to have to do this, Sansy.’  _ Their voice is sad. ‘ _ But you need to be punished, and it needs to be something you don't want to happen badly enough that you will never dodge me again. _ ’

_ ‘i know i messed up!’  _ Sans sobs, holding his broken hands as gently as possible,  _ ‘i know i messed up i’m so sorry please you don’t know how horrible this is _ !’

‘ _ If you have any better ideas I'd be willing to hear them.’ _

_ ‘i…’  _ Sans racks his brain,  _ ‘y-you can take my legs!’ _

‘ _ I don't think that’s quite enough, Sansy.’  _

_ ‘arms? i...blind me and cripple me i don’t care just not this!’ _

‘ _ I can't do that Sansy, and you know it.’  _

He gives up on begging, hiding his face in his knees and sobbing.

‘ _ Shhh… it'll be okay.’  _

_ ‘n-n-no i-i-it w-w-won’t..’ _

‘ _ It'll be over before you know it.’ _

Maybe they won’t find anybody...maybe in spite of the guards’ taunting, none of them actually want to touch him…

‘ _ Treat it like medicine, Sansy. It's unpleasant going down, but it's better for you in the end.’ _

_ ‘i won’t dodge again…’ _

_ ‘Of that, I have no doubt.’ _

Sans hears the lock on the door start to jiggle,  _ ‘s-someone’s trying to get in..!’ _

‘ _ That's him now.’ _

_ ‘w..wh-who-?’  _ But Sans feels Chara sever their connection. Sans hugs his jacket tighter to his chest, every bone trembling.

The lock turns over and the door swings open. In steps…

 

His brother. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rescue!


	5. Papyrus?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are awful and lucy is a dirty liar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nobody is expecting this
> 
> I will warn you now, that to get the full scope of this chapter you really do need to read the actual rape scene, but it HAS been cut out of this version in respect to people who aren't here for that. The unedited version can be found as chapter two of Breaking Point PWP

“ _ mph!”  _ Sans drops his jacket and grips at the bars of the kennel, shaking at the door and reaching one arm through, stretching for his brother as though it’s physically possible to reach him from the other side of the room. “p’s!” The spikes in the muzzle are digging into his jaw but he doesn’t care.

“WELL. YOU LOOK HAPPY TO SEE ME, DOG.” 

Sans forces a smile into his eyes, desperation making him take it as a joke. Papyrus has a right to be angry, after their last meeting. He shakes the cage door again. “‘s…”

“I SUPPOSE I SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED THAT A HUMAN CAN TURN YOU INTO A WRECK LIKE THIS. YOU ALWAYS WERE USELESS.” He stalks closer.

Sans’s smile drops and he slowly sits back, “Pah…”

“BUT KIND OF CUTE, IN A PATHETIC WAY. I ALWAYS WANTED TO WATCH YOU FALL APART.”

His back hits the far edge of the kennel. “...’oss…”

Papyrus reaches down to unlock the cage. Sans hesitantly reaches for his hand, shaking but too desperate for comfort to listen to the warning bells going off in his head. 

He shouldn't have been surprised, but he was. He’s yanked out and slammed into the floor, pinned on his stomach by one of his brother's large hands. He cries out, squirming in place and clawing at the mats, “P’uh!”

Papyrus tears off his shorts without a word. His sweater follows.

Sans feels his marrow turn cold, and he freezes up. His eyelights shrink.

“AT LEAST I CAN FINALLY DO THIS.”

Sans starts screaming against the muzzle, thrashing with as much energy as he can muster and fighting to crawl away from his brother, clawing at the floor with broken fingers. No. No no no this can’t be happening. “ _ nh!” _

Papyrus barely has to exert any effort to pin him. He puts his weight on the smaller of them, practically sitting on him, and draws a pair of handcuffs from his belt. His hands now free, he grabs Sans’s trembling arms and holds them behind his back.  _ Thwhip _ .  _ Click. Thwhip. Click. _

 

_ ~~Here we draw a veil over a scene of trauma and noncon~~  
_

 

~~~~

_ ‘i’ll be a good puppy i’ll be a good puppy for the love of god make this stop just kill me i’d rather be dead than fucked by my brother _ !’ Sans begs over the link, knowing it’s closed but too desperate to give up.

There’s a moment of silence.

Then a massive amount of confusion, pouring across the bond. ‘ _... your brother?’  _

_ ‘master please please i don’t want this i’m so sorry i’m so sorry…’ _

_ ‘I'm coming, I'm only about a minute away.’ _

Sans yelps as he’s suddenly shoved back onto the ground and forcibly turned to his stomach. His tail is grabbed again. “ _ nah _ ! P-Paps, n-no, p-please no!”

The door slams open. “ **_This wasn't part of the agreement, dipshit!_ ** ” 

Sans immediately scoots towards the corner as he’s abruptly released, crying and trying to hide himself.

“I WAS JUST--”

Chara’s hand flashes out, the knife flying and hitting its mark before Papyrus finishes speaking. 

Only once he’s hit, his form seems to shimmer a bit. Sans looks up, eyes widening as the tall skeleton’s form flickers again, and then changes to that of a moldbygg. Chara storms further into the room, drawing a second knife and finishing the job.

Sans just stares, taking a second to try and comprehend. “...wh..wh-what..?”

“I can't believe he fucking  _ did _ that. I mean holy shit that’s fucked up!” Chara shrieks, covered in dust.

“what…” Oh gods the taste is still in his mouth…

“I didn't even know they could shapeshift!”

“sh..shapesh-shift…?”

“Apparently! Did you really think I'd send your  _ brother _ in here?!”

Sans starts sobbing heavily because  _ yes _ , he had thought that. He'd been completely convinced that Papyrus was raping him and he'd been ready to die. 

Chara rushes over and kneels beside him. “My poor puppy…”

Sans cries louder, wanting to bury his face in his hands but unable to move his cuffed arms. 

They wrap their arms around him, pulling him into their lap gently so they can get a better look at the cuffs. “I’m so sorry….”

Sans presses his head to their shoulder, sobbing harder and straining at the cuffs.

“Please stop squirming, Sansy, I'm trying to see what kind of key I need.” They murmur. “... or would you rather I just reload?”

“r-reload r-reload p-please r-reload…”

“Alright.” There's barely a moment where Sans is stuck in time, then he’s curled on the floor of his cage, fully clothed. The lock isn't sealed. 

Chara enters a moment later. Sans curls up into a tight ball, hugging his jacket to his face and weeping. The taste is gone but he still remembers...why does he have to remember? Why can't he just forget like everybody else?

Chara comes over, sits beside the cage door and opens it. It's a silent gesture of choice- if he wants them to leave him alone, they're not touching him, but they're there if he wants them to hold him.

Eventually he looks up at them, but the look of betrayal in his eyes makes them glance away. Even so, a few seconds later they feel a weak tug on their arm.

They look back at him, guilt in their expression. It wasn't supposed to be  _ that bad _ . There were lines even Chara wouldn't cross, and they'd given that bastard a very specific set of directions. All of which were completely ignored. 

Sans holds out his arms but keeps his head down. Chara picks him up and sets him in their lap, rubbing the back of his skull in one of his favorite spots. “I'm sorry, Sans. I should've known better.”

“i…” Sans's expression squints up, “..i sh-shouldn’t have d-dodged...i deserved i-it…” He sounds like a broken record trying to convince itself. 

Surprisingly, Chara’s response is concise and firm. “No.”

“...i d-dodged…”

“Yes, and you deserved to be punished. But that dipshit… you didn't deserve what he did to you. I told him to scare you, Sansy, not  _ hurt _ you. Feel you up a bit, finger you maybe depending on how you were reacting. I… there are things even I won't do.” They shiver slightly. “And  _ nowhere _ in our agreement did it say he could do what he did.” 

“...y...b-but i c...i c-couldn’t r-reach you…”

“...” They stare at the floor. ‘... _ I felt bad…’ _

“..wh...what?”

“I felt bad about having to punish you with a method as harsh as that!” They blurt, clutching him to their chest possessively. “I felt bad and I don't like second guessing myself so I closed the stupid link and I'm  _ sorry _ , I fucked up really badly.”

“..m..m-master...i..” Sans clutches blindly at them, “i’m s-sorry…”

“It's okay, Sansy.” Chara mumbles. “We… we’ll learn from it and move on, huh? I won't involve other people when I need to punish you again, okay?”

Sans nods, trembling and holding them tighter, “o-okay…”

Chara smiles slightly, rubbing his spine through his sweater. “Will you be alright alone down here tonight?”

Sans swallows, “...i-i’ll b-be f-fine…” He whispers.

“I'll stay if you want, my little puppy.” 

“..th...th-that’ll b-be suspicious w-won’t it...y-you’ll h-have to reload again a-and then i-i’ll be alone a-anyway…”

“‘Oh Daddy I was just so excited to break my new pet that I couldn't sleep and ended up going back down to torment him some more’.” Chara mocks their own tone, adding a fluttering of their eyelashes to big doe eyes. It's kind of ridiculous.

Sans squints at them. It takes them a second to realize that he can't even process a joke anymore. 

“I have an excuse that will work, Sans.” They sigh. “Don't worry about it, okay?”

“..o-okay master…”

Chara pulls a sleeping bag and a pillow out of their inventory and begin to set them up on the mat. “Do you want to sleep next to me, or in your kennel?”

“n-next to you..p-please…”

They climb into the bag, then hold it open. Sans clambers in next to them, his eyes fluttering shut at the cozy warmth. He gives a purr in spite of himself.

Chara smiles and zips them inside, allowing Sans to use their arm as a pillow while they use the actual one. “Goodnight, my little pet.”

“g-good night m-master…”

Chara yawns and closes their eyes, wrapping their free arm around the skeleton. It doesn't take long for their breathing to even out. Sans stays awake for a bit longer, staring at their face. He wonders if he can forgive them - they’d apologized, yes, which was rare enough in and of itself, but there’s a sick feeling in his gut that they wouldn’t hesitate to try that again.

He’d  _ dodged _ ...that’s all he’d done. Sans isn’t so far gone that he isn’t capable of realizing what a small offense that was. Not to mention it was an instinctive reaction - not something he really could have helped…

For the sake of himself, Sans hopes he can forgive them, though. Grudges are exhausting to hold on to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to Germindis for the Moldbygg shapeshifter idea btw  
> If you're one of a kind monstrous garbage you should go check out his series Red City


	6. Come Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upgrade

A week has passed. Chara came down with food for him every day, and has generally been calm and kind. Sans tries to enjoy it, but in the end all the nice treatment has done is fill him with dread.

Gradually, though, that dread dulls out, until it's replaced by a silent, unbearable numbness.

So what if they make him crawl in front of everyone. So what if they blind him, take his arms and legs and still expect him to crawl. So what if they lock him away in a cage for the rest of his life.

There's nothing he can do to stop them. His only option is to just take it. It's not even an option it's just his existence, now…

Why should he care what happens to him when the outcome is all the basic same? Take it, and move on.

 

He’s expecting more of the same when Chara comes in, but this time they have a bag slung over their shoulder. “G’mornin’ Sansy! Ready to face the world?” 

“no…”

“Aw, but I thought you  _ wanted _ to go upstairs! And I brought  _ presents! _ ”

Sans sniffs, “...p-presents…?”

Chara nods, patting their knee. “Come.” 

He slowly crawls forward towards them, keeping his eyes down. 

Chara sits on the floor beside him and pulls off the magic dampener, then digs in their bag. After a moment, they remove a bright red leather collar with the Delta Rune embroidered on it in gold, and a large square tag that reads ‘Sansy’ in fancy script. There’s a small bell hanging beneath the tag.

Sans says nothing. 

“If you don’t like it I can have it remade.”

“..huh..?” Sans looks up, “..oh. it's fine.”

Chara smiles brightly. “Good!” They dig through the bag some more, pulling out a matching leash. “Is there anything specific you want for dinner?”

He shrugs weakly. 

“Alright.” They mutter, sounding a tad irritated. The human moves his shirt collar down slightly, buckling the collar around his neck. They attach the leash and stand. “You’re welcome to walk or crawl, whatever makes you comfortable.” 

He gets to his feet, putting his hands in his pockets and keeping his head down as he shuffles out of the cell after them. He doesn't so much as flinch at the jeers thrown his way as they pass through the main block of cells. 

The corridors of the dungeon aren’t that crowded. There aren’t any inmates in this area either. Just a few guards.

Sans suddenly freezes at a familiar squelching sound. Chara’s walk is halted as the leash tenses in their hand. They look back to see Sans holding deathly still, his sockets black. 

Their eyes widen as they see a large Gaster Blaster form above Sans’s head, and then a second later it fires. They turn just in time to see the Moldbygg dissolve with a scream inside the blast. The charge continues for a good five seconds before Sans’s eye goes out. The brick walls, floor, and ceiling are all singed, some even partially melted. Not even any dust is left.

Sans stands trembling for a moment before continuing to follow Chara as though nothing had happened. 

Holy fucking  _ shit _ . Chara glances back at Sans repeatedly during their walk, fear and guilt warring in their belly. 

They really needed to stop forgetting just how dangerous Sans was. Maybe they shouldn't have taken off that magic repression collar in favor for this new one…

They glance back again at his eyes...no. He couldn't hurt them even if he wanted to. 

And besides, letting him have access to his magic was better in the long run. It would be useful. And it would make him feel a little better. Right now was a delicate balancing act between maintaining authority and not further damaging his tentative trust.

Though he doesn't exactly look like he's going to be challenging anybody over anything, anytime soon. Chara will have to test that, though. 

But that’s for later.

 

They push open the dungeon doors and lead him out, stopping as the leash goes taut again. They turn to look, seeing Sans squinting and shading his eyes. Right, it’s a lot brighter up here.

Eventually he gives up, just shutting his eyes and following the tugging on his neck. Chara’s not quite rough, but they’re not gentle, either. They’re insistent. 

The walk to the royal wing seems to take forever. There are a lot more people up here...he can sense their stares. He hears their whispering.

He feels nothing. Nothing can be worse than what he’s already been through.

“Fucking twats…” Frisk’s familiar drawl sounds from above his head. “Mind your own damn business!”

“give it a rest, kid.” Sans murmurs.

They yelp. “Oops! Um, how much of that did you hear?”

“you shouldn't be swearing. what would Tori think.”

“I’m going to assume you only heard the last bit then… If Mom could’ve heard the last hour I wouldn’t even have a tongue anymore.”

“stop wasting energy being upset over this. it's a spectacle. not like you can blame them for whispering.”

They flip upside down to look at him. “I will be upset if something upsets me, Sans. And this entire ‘spectacle’  _ royally  _ pisses me off.”

Sans shrugs. “okay.”

They try to poke him. Their finger goes right through. “Damn.”

Sans’s eyes flit to the spot, “did you expect that to work.”

“I could only hope.” They shrug. “Don’t have much else to do.” 

“you should find a hobby.”

“My hobby is coming up with extremely inventive curses that nobody will ever hear and pestering you in an attempt to make you feel better.”

“i’m trying to feel nothing.”

“Dunno how long that’ll work.” The ghost mutters, eyes flicking to Chara.

“i’ll fall down, soon...i think i can feel it.”

The child flinches, then sighs. “Somehow I don’t think it’ll be that simple.”

“that has to be their end goal, right?” Sans mutters. “they want me to suffer.”

Frisk shrugs. Honestly, they don’t know  _ what _ Chara is up to. It frightens them.

“why else would they want to drag me out in front of everyone...make me do tricks...they think it's funny. they know it's torture...they don't want me to be their friend. they just want to destroy me. break me down until i’m gone. that's it.”

“I’d make a point about them only  _ threatening  _ to take you out in public and make you do tricks, but it wouldn’t help much.”

Sans looks them in the eye, “say they aren't going to do it.” He challenges in a low voice. 

“Say I’m not going to do  _ what _ ?”

Sans sighs and looks back down, “take me out in public and make me do tricks for the crowds, master.”

Chara shrugs. “I did say that was only if you were uncooperative, didn’t I?”

“did you?”

“I do believe it was during one of your rebellious periods, wasn’t it?” They aren’t looking back at him, focusing on the walk. Thankfully this part of the castle is reserved for the Royals and the servants, and the hall is empty. “In front of the mirror. About how I could be a kind or a cruel master depending on how you behaved.”

“i don't know...it'd be merciful of you to keep me to yourself, master, but…” Sans glances away. 

“But?”

But they've already proven they're willing to share him to hurt him. “..how likely is that going to be..”

“I do believe I’ve promised not to involve others in punishing you again. I have yet to break my word to you, Sans.”

“...okay..” Sans takes in a slow breath. “i trust you, master.”

Chara pushes open their bedroom door. “Food, or bath first?”

“bath, please, master.”

Chara nods and unhooks the leash, taking a moment to hang it on the back of the door. This is a different royal suite, Sans notices. It’s the same size and shape but the paint colors and furniture are all more modern, and the name stenciled on the wall above the bed is ‘Charity’.

“..Charity…?”

“I thought it was amusing. While calling myself Frisk would’ve been a nice ‘Fuck you’ to the traitor I didn’t want to have to answer to that, and I couldn’t exactly go by ‘Chara’.”

“makes sense…” Sans sheds his jacket, “...c-can i get this washed, master?”

“Of course, it’s as filthy as you are. Your other clothes, too. I’ll call for a servant once I start the bath.”

“thank you master.”

They nod and walk into the bathroom. Sans takes a moment to finish looking around. There’s a burgundy rug in the far corner, covering about five feet squared of space, with a light red pet bed that seems to be of a better quality than the one from before the RESET sitting atop it. There’s a blanket folded on top of it. There’s also a pair of dog dishes against one of the walls, one visibly filled with water.

Sans crawls over to the latter, leaning over it and taking a long drink. He can't remember the last time he's had water. It’s cold, and clean-tasting. There’s probably a spell on the bowl itself to keep it that way.

The last time he had a drink was… the spider cider, right? Chara had been  _ feeding him _ , but since he didn’t strictly  _ need _ water to survive, they hadn’t bothered trying to carry any down.

He sits back, wiping his sleeve over his mouth, “mph.” That's a bit better. 

“Come on Sansy~! Bath time~!”

Sans sighs quietly, glancing up at Frisk, “you know the drill, kid.” He murmurs, getting to his feet and peeling off his shirt.

They salute and fly off. Sans divests himself of his shorts and slowly makes his way into the steam-filled bathroom. The tub is full of bubbles.

He eases his way into the water, hissing slowly through his teeth and closing his eyes, “mph..”

“Is it too hot?” Chara asks in what seems to be concern.

He shakes his head, “no, master. it's good. thank you.”

They nod, pulling a washcloth and bottle of soap down from one of the shelves and combining the two. Sans rests his head against the tub edge, slowly closing his eyes.

 

The human is methodical in washing him-- It’s been far too long since he’s actually been  _ clean _ , and there’s dust and dried-up blood and marrow all over him, especially in between his bones. The water is tinted a reddish brown by the time Chara is done, and it's also gone cold. Sans is shivering slightly.

Chara pulls him out and sets him on a towel on the floor, handing him another. There’s a knock on the chamber door. 

“Prinx Charity? I’m here for the laundry?”

Chara slips out the bathroom door without a word, leaving Sans alone for the moment. Sans wraps himself up in the towel so only his eyes are visible, still shivering. Chara returns to the bathroom a moment later.

“Are you really that cold?”

“n-no body f-fat for i-insulation…”

“Good point.” They bend over and lift his small frame into their arms, carrying him out of the bathroom and into the bedroom proper. Thy set him down on the rug beside the bed, tugging the towels out of his grip and tossing them into the now-empty hamper. Sans shivers.

“You can take a nap or just wrap up in that blanket until your clothes come back if you like, Sansy.”

Sans rolls up in the offered blanket, his trembling dying down. It's so warm…

“Pretty sure it’s been charmed to stay warm.” Chara says, watching him with amusement.

“‘s cozy…”

“I’m glad you like it~!” They’re actually kind of worried he’ll never  _ leave  _ it.

Sans slowly lays down, fighting to stay awake. 

There’s another knock. “Prinx? It is time for your lessons.”

Chara curses under their breath. “I’ll be back in like six hours, Sansy. Be good!”

“g’bye master…” Sans slurs before drifting off.

 

Papyrus stalks down the hall towards the throne room. He loved his new position. Adored it, even. It is everything he ever wanted.

But it was a lot of work. A lot of frustrating, thankless work. 

And there is that niggling concern in the back of his mind-- Who had Split the runt, and where was he now?

He’s so lost in thought that he doesn’t notice the cat girl in handmaiden’s clothing until he’s unintentionally bowled her over, and scattered the laundry she was carrying all over the hall.

Papyrus swears under his breath, muttering an apology and reaching an arm down to help her up. His intentions quickly change from helpful to interrogative when he sees Sans’s jacket spill from the basket.

His grip on her arm tightens to painful levels, “ _ WHERE DID YOU GET THAT JACKET?” _

“It was in the Prinx’s laundry, Captain.” The maid says without an ounce of fear. She’s worked here far too long to be intimidated by a tight grip and a sneer.

“WHERE IS THEIR ROOM.”

“In the royal wing.” She rolls her eyes, tugging her arm out of his grip. “I’m fairly certain they’re in lessons right now.”

Perfect. His report could wait.

Turning sharply on his heel, Papyrus stormed in the direction of the room. He had an idea of what he would find. 

 

The door to ‘Charity’s’ room slams open, startling Sans awake. To his shock and confusion, it’s  _ Papyrus _ that storms in, not Chara.

His eyes widen and he presses back against the wall, “B-Boss…”

“WELL. SO THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE? NOT ONLY DID SOME RANDOM FUCK SPLIT YOU, BUT IT WAS SOME FUCKING HUMAN KID?!”

Sans glances around helplessly. Frisk hasn't come back yet. “...n-now you know why i didn't t-tell you…”

“GET UP.”

Flinching, Sans obeys, keeping the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. The bell on his collar chimes happily. 

“WHAT WAS  _ THAT?!”  _

Sans winces, “...collar…”

His brother towers over him, boxing him in the corner. Sans has nowhere to go when he snatches the blanket away.

“...” Papyrus seems too angry for actual words for a moment as he inspects the collar. “I'm going to kill them. And then I'm going to beat the shit out of you.” He says in a low, dangerous voice.

“no, you're not.” Sans looks at the ground quickly, “uhm, i...th-the first thing i mean...th-they’re A-Asgore’s new kid, you can't..c-can’t exactly survive h-him being pissed off..” 

‘ _ Master my brother is here…’ _

“YOU THINK SO LITTLE OF ME JUST BECAUSE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A NEW OWNER NOW?! YOU BELONG TO  _ ME _ , SANS! NOBODY ELSE!”

‘ _ Shit. Do you need me to reload?’  _

_ ‘probably…’ _

“oh, suddenly you're strong enough to fight the king?” Sans asks in a weary voice, “you know you work for him, right?

“I NEVER SAID I WOULD FIGHT HIM, RUNT! THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE TO BLAME THEIR DEATH ON.”

‘ _ Just say the word and I will. See if you can find out how he figured out where you were first, though, in case I can run interference when I do it over.’ _

“how'd you even find me…”

“ONE OF THE SERVANTS HAD YOUR CLOTHES!” 

“oh.”

‘ _ i guess he saw my jacket in the laundry?’ _

_ “ _ ..just leave, Boss...there's nothing left of me even worth salvaging, okay? i’m… i’m happy here. Char-ity -” He stumbles slightly over the name, “-treats me well if I behave. better than you ever did, at any rate.” The words cut deep, and he’s actually somewhat surprised at the hurt expression his brother is wearing. 

It's probably fake. Since when has Papyrus cared…

“..just adopt another pet rock it's the same fucking thing anyway..” Sans pulls his blanket back over his shoulders and settles back down into the dog bed, pointedly ignoring his sibling. After the last time he ‘saw Papyrus’, he wants nothing to do with him. 

After a moment, his brother pads out the door.

‘ _ Is everything alright?’ _

_ ‘yeah. he left.’  _ There's zero surprise in Sans’s tone. 

‘ _ Are you safe then?’ _

_ ‘yes master. i’m going back to sleep.’ _

_ ‘Alright, have a good nap.’ _

_ ‘i’ll try…’  _ He has a bad feeling about the quality of his upcoming nap and he doesn't think it's going to be ‘good’. But he's tired and doesn't really have anything better to do, so…


	7. Isolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Push them all away and they won't miss you when you're gone

Sans’s eyes shoot open. There are tears pouring down his face. He shivers. That dream..nightmare, really...had been… awful.

“m-master…?” He chokes out, rubbing at his dripping sockets and wiping his face on the blanket. But Chara isn’t around. Right, they’re in lessons and don’t want to be bothered unless it’s an emergency.

“...Frisk..?”

The kid is either not present or not visible, as well, it seems. Sans gives a depressed sigh and settles into the bed, shivering. Hopefully they’ll be back soon.

  
  
  


Chara stomps down the hall, fuming. Who does that Papyrus think he is?! Accosting them in front of everyone and demanding to know what they’d done to his brother. They should just dust him. 

The human slams open their bedroom door and stomps inside.

Sans jolts, sitting up quickly, “master-”

“Leave me alone, Sans, I’m not in the mood.” They snap, stomping to their bed and flopping down on their side. They’re exhausted.

“..c..c-can i come u-up…?”

“ _ No _ !”

He sits back, staring blankly at the floor. “...oh..”

Chara rolls their eyes and pulls a book off the shelf beside their bed. They’ll deal with him later, when they aren’t in the mood to beat him.

“...Frisk?” Sans tries again, keeping his voice quiet.

After a moment, they appear, a few feet away. “...ear me now?”

Sans breathes a sigh of relief, switching to signing so as not to disturb Chara, ‘Hey Frisk. I kind’ve had a bad dream. Keep me company?’

They smile warmly and settle beside him. He can feel their skin in contact with him. Testingly he tries resting his head against their shoulder.

They feel warm, and solid. Without him asking they reach up to rub his skull. Sans purrs softly, closing his eyes and letting himself be comforted this way - he can’t clearly think back and remember any other method of reassurance besides petting anyhow. It’s automatic to purr at pleasing sensations now, as well, even though he’s sure he didn’t used to do that. 

“Was it bad then, Sans? I’m sorry…”

‘I don’t really wanna talk about it, but thanks for being here.’

“Always.” They say, scratching under his chin.

“mph.. _ k-krr _ …” His leg twitches against the bed and he tilts his head up, a goofy smile crossing his face.

 

Chara hears the noise and they glance over, frowning. What? How is…  _ Frisk _ . Their expression darkens. 

“h-heh…” Sans braces his palms between his knees, eyes fluttering shut, “ _ krr _ ..”

Really?  _ They’re _ cuddling and petting him? Sans belongs to  _ Chara _ .

“th-thanks k-kid..” Sans murmurs as quietly as possible.

Their temper flares, and they sit up, setting the book aside. “Sansy~ Guess what time it is?”

Sans looks up, “..i...i-i d-d-don’t kn-know..?”

“ **_I told you to guess_ ** !”

Sans jumps at their tone, cowering against the wall, “i...d...d-dinner…?”

“Nope~.” They singsong, the anger vanishing. “Try again, think reeeeeal hard about what we planned for when you came back upstairs.” 

“...i…” Sans tries to read their face, “...a-a-are y-y-you m-mad at me a-about s-somethin’...?”

“Maybe I am, maybe I'm not.  **_That’s not a guess._ ** ” 

“i-i-i-i c-c-can’t r-r-remember, m-master..”

“Then I guess it'll be a surprise, huh, Sansy? Come up here.” They pat the spot beside them, wearing a mischievous grin.

He’s shaking by now, but he obeys, clambering onto the mattress and sitting puppy-style next to them. He watches them with wide, fearful eyes, his bones rattling quietly.

Chara pulls out their knife. “On your back, with your head in my lap.” They instruct calmly.

Sans’s sockets go dark - oh.  _ Now  _ he remembers.

His trembling intensifies as he very slowly lays down, fighting to keep his eyes open as he stares at the ceiling. It has very pretty rune designs painted on it. He tries to memorize it - it’s going to be the last thing he sees for a while.

“I want you to apologize properly for what you did wrong to earn this punishment.” Chara says softly. “What you did wrong, why it happened, why you shouldn't have  _ let _ it happen, and why you're sorry.”

“i...i-i-i-i c-c-can't r-r-remember…” Sans whispers.

Chara’s eyes narrow. “You're fucking with me. There’s no way you've forgotten.”

“i-i-i’m s-s-sorry…”

“ **_Tem Village._ ** ”

Sans jolts, his trembling becoming violent as he hugs himself, “o...o-o-oh…”

“Remember now?”

Sans nods, covering his mouth and squeezing his eyes shut, “y-y-yes m-master..” 

“I'm waiting for your apology!”

“....i...i-i’m s-sorry i c-couldn’t...i  _ d-didn’t  _ t-teleport us…” He corrects himself before he can redirect the blame, “i...i sh-should h-have b...i  _ w-was _ a-able t-to i j..i j-just f-fucked it up, i...i sh...i-it w-went w-wrong b…” 

Because his magic hadn’t recovered. 

Because Chara scared him. 

Because he’d pushed himself too hard too quickly. 

“..b...b-because...i-i’m not...g-good enough..” 

That’s the best phrasing he can think of that can directly blame himself. 

“...i sh-shouldn’t h-have l-let it happen b...b-because you...y-you t-told me to...t-to do it...right? i...fuck, i...i-i’m s-sorry i-it w-went wrong it sh-shouldn’t have g-gone wrong i-i’m  _ sorry _ …”

Chara pets his skull gently. “Good boy.” They’re surprisingly gentle as they lift his skull a bit to get a better angle. “You're right. I told you to do something, and you fucked it up. And now I have to hurt you.” They frown down at him.

He forces his eyes open, flinching at the sight of the blade so close to his face. He locks his jaw to keep his head steady while the rest of him shakes, gripping his arms tightly enough that the bone under his fingers starts to bruise.

“Shh… remember, it's like medicine.” They drive the knife in.

Sans screams, the sound echoing loudly around the room and rattling around in his head.

They pull it out, slamming it into the other side. They want it over with quickly.

He can feel blood soaking into the mattress as it drips off of his face. He keeps screaming, not knowing how else to try and distract himself from the searing pain.

The door to the bedroom slams open, jarring him. He jolts and the knife digs in deeper, earning a fresh round of screams. Chara pulls it out quickly, ignoring the furious skeleton in the doorway in favor of murmured reassurances to the one in their lap, proud whispers that he’s a good boy and that it's over. They pet him in an attempt to help him calm down.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BROTHER?!”

Sans flinches in their lap, letting out a terrified squeak and burying his damaged face into their sweater. Blood almost instantly soaks through it. 

“Do you mind?!” They snap without looking away. “You're scaring him.” 

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Papyrus grabs Sans by his arms and easily pulls him out of the child’s grip. He bites the thumb of his glove and yanks it off, bracing a healing hand to Sans’s bleeding socket.

Sans weakly attempts to push his arms off of him. Chara would be upset if he was healed this soon.

“SANS STOP IT! YOU’RE BLEEDING OUT!” Papyrus snaps, easily fighting off Sans’s weak attempts to stop him, “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU LITTLE  _ DEMON _ ?!” Papyrus spits at the Prinx, his sockets flaring red.

“I have food for him.” They shrug. “You just interrupted before I could give it to him. Kindly  **_unhand my pet_ ** .”

“DO YOU THINK ME A FOOL?!” Papyrus’s glare intensifies, holding Sans tighter, “I SAW YOUR  _ KNIFE IN HIS EYE!  _ WHAT COULD HE HAVE POSSIBLY DONE TO EARN THAT PUNISHMENT?!”

“That is  **_none of your concern._ ** ” Chara growls. 

Sans squirms in his brother's grip. ‘ _ Master please don't be angry i'm trying…’ _

‘ _ Try harder!’ _

_ ‘i can’t…’  _ Sans stares up at his brother - he’s almost unrecognizable. He’s never seen Papyrus this angry.

“ _ BULLSHIT  _ IT’S NONE OF MY CONCERN!  _ HE’S MY BROTHER _ !”

“Not anymore.”

“I’M TAKING HIM HOME!”

Chara’s eyes darken. “Sans.  **_Come._ ** ” ‘ _ Teleport, attack him, I don't care. But you better be over here in the next sixty seconds or  _ **_you will regret failing me_ ** .’

“P...P-Paps, l..l-listen to me, j-just listen, p-please…” Sans tugs at his brother’s scarf, flinching at the furious gaze that turns down to meet his, “...it’s too late, Boss.” His voice cracks and his eyes well up with tears, “it’s too late. y-you’re too late to fix anything. i’m gone. i’m  _ gone  _ okay th..th-there’s none of your brother e-even left, just...p-put me down, Boss, just p-put me down...i have to stay...i c-can’t go with you i h-have to stay…”

‘ **_Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight_ ** …’

“...WHAT DID I DO WRONG?”

Sans swallows and looks away, “Boss..”

“WHEN DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN?! HOW COULD…” Papyrus’s jaw clenches, “...YOU’RE MY BROTHER. HOW CAN I FAIL TO TAKE CARE OF MY OWN BROTHER?!”

“....B-Boss your b-brother is dead, okay?” Sans clenches his fists, “he’s gone i’m just a  _ fucking pet now and you’re too late _ !” Sans shoves his way out of Papyrus’s grip, his legs shaking beneath him as he glares, “where were you until now, huh?! maybe if you hadn’t waited until i was  _ broken  _ to give a fuck then  _ this wouldn’t have fucking happened!”  _ He teleports back onto the bed beside Chara just before their mental countdown his zero, wrapping his arms around himself. No doubt he's going to have to go through  _ another  _ round of eye-stabbing thanks to his sibling. As if twice wasn't enough.  _ And _ they'll be angry because he couldn't stop Papyrus from healing him. 

Chara crosses their arms and glares at the shaking form of Papyrus.

“..........I’M SORRY.”

“sorry doesn’t mean shit.” Sans turns his head away.

“...I KNOW. I…” Papyrus stretches his arm out for a moment, and then withdraws, backing up towards the door. “....I FAILED YOU. I’M SORRY.”

“leave. f-for the love of f-fuck just leave…”

Without another word, the Captain of the Guard turns on his heel and leaves.

Chara looks down at the skeleton beside them. He’s trembling. “Do you want pets?” They ask softly. Why is it that they always feel so  _ guilty _ when shit like this happens?

“no.”

Dammit. How much backslide did this one fucking incident cause?

“Are you hurt?”

“no, master.” Sans forces compliance back into his tone. Papyrus had even healed the bruises Sans had dug into his own arms. Fuck...that show off never could just do a ‘satisfactory’ job…

Chara reaches over to pet him anyway.

“can you please just blind me again?” Sans asks, voice weary. He doesn’t want them to go through the ‘I’m a good master’ retraining again. He just wants them to hurry up and get his punishment over with.

“... I wasn't exactly planning to?” They sound confused. “I mean, unless you  _ want  _ me to…” 

Sans stares at them. “....you’re not going to blind me again?”

They shrug. “It's not like it's your fault he burst in here. He’s been stalking me all freaking day. It's why I was so pissed when I came in.”

“so what if it’s not my fault?”

“This again, Sansy? I've told you. I have yet to assign you a task I didn't think you could do. I punish you when you fuck up, not whenever the hell I feel like it. Again, that's why I wouldn't let you up here earlier; I was in a bad mood and didn't want to hurt you.”

...alright, that’s true, but…

Sans rubs at his face, digging his fingers into his skull. It’s  _ like  _ Chara to be unfair but...they’ve been following their promises and...those have been fair...at least he  _ thinks  _ so…

He groans. He’s getting an actual physical headache from this.

Chara smiles and tugs him back onto their lap. “Shhh… It’s alright.” 

“it’s really not, master.”

“Why not?” They ask, running a hand down his bare spine.

“...you know that was my  _ brother _ , right? i just had to say all of that to my  _ brother _ …”

“I can reload it if you want. He won’t remember.”

“no. it’ll just happen again.”

“I suppose.” They murmur, continuing to stroke him. “You did a good job.”

“no.  _ please  _ don’t be kind to me right now i d-don’t fucking deserve it..”

“Why don’t you? You’re being a good puppy. He didn’t care about you until I took you from him. Then he only wanted you back so I couldn’t have you. He didn’t care about  _ you _ , only about being your owner.”

“i’m not a good puppy. i’m not a good  _ anything _ . i’m...f-fucking garbage th-that’s all i’ve ever been..”

“Oh, Sansy…” They mutter. “You’re a good puppy. You just screw up sometimes.”

“all the time.” Sans mumbles.

“You did a very good job today.”

“with  _ what _ ?” Sans asks incredulously.

“When your brother came in while I was gone; You handled that well. And the walk up here from the dungeon. You were good in the bath. You don’t need to do a lot, Sansy.”

“...don’t need to do a lot.” Sans repeats in a depressed mumble, “..right.”

Chara grits their teeth.

“...i’m sorry, i...i know i’m being…” Sans shuts his eyes, “i’ll get over it. i’m sorry master.”

They nod, accepting the apology in the spirit it was given, and scratch under his chin. He tilts his head up but doesn't purr like he did with Frisk.

Chara’s eyes flash. “What, am I not doing it right? Do you not like it when  _ I _ pet you? You didn’t have any issues when  _ they _ pet you like this!”

“i’m feeling kinda depressed, master…”

“And you weren't earlier?!” They’re furious.

“no…”

“Fine.” Chara shoves him off the bed.

Sans grunts as he hits the floor, “yeah, i’m fine, kid.” He mumbles. 

Frisk worries over him for a moment anyway. 

Chara grits their teeth, clenching their hand around their knife.

“seriously, i’m fine.” Sans brushes them off, going over to his bed and lying down, “just leave me alone.”

“Well  _ excuse me for being worried!” _

“oh you're gonna be mad at me now too, huh? fine.”

Frisk rolls their eyes. “Again,  _ sorry. _ I’ll just go.”

“then go.” 

They flip him the bird and dive through the floor.

“yeah. love you too.” Sans mutters bitterly.

“You're being a brat again, Sansy.” Chara remarks.

“Sorry.”

“I should punish you.” 

“okay master.” Sans gives a weary sigh, getting to his feet and moving to stand in front of where they are on the bed. 

“I should remind you that you’re supposed to be afraid of me.” They mutter, staring down at their hands. Why are they going so fucking  _ soft _ ? 

“okay master.”

“ **_Why are you so apathetic!?_ ** ” They shriek in frustration, lunging over where they’re directly in front of him.

Sans flinches and draws in his shoulders, holding his breath and bracing himself for the strike.

They don’t hit him. Instead, they snatch his SOUL out of his chest. “This is mine. MINE! Not yours! Not Frisk’s! Not Papyrus’s! It. Is. MINE!” They squeeze it.

Sans collapses to his knees, scratching at his sternum and struggling to breathe. 

They loosen their hold, hopping down from the bed and grabbing him with their free hand. They drag him to a green-painted door and open it, revealing a small, dark cupboard. Sans doesn't fight or give any sort of protest - he crawls in, curling up and digging his nails against his already scratched ribcage.

Chara slams the door shut, locking it, and then digs their thumb into Sans’s Split. The screaming this gets them is...satisfactory. But barely.

_ ‘master you're…’  _ Sans pauses. Does he  _ want _ to stop them…?

“I’m what?” He hears from the other side of the door. Chara’s tone is full of irritation.

_ ‘...nevermind, master...keep going..’ _

“No. I want to know what you were going to say.”

_ ‘it's nothing, master. please keep going.’ _

“Sans, when you ask for punishment I only get suspicious.  **_Tell me_ ** .”

_ ‘......i want to be Shattered, master.’  _ And it was so  _ close _ they were so close to just ending all of this why did he have to open his mouth? 

He can actually hear Chara’s laughter. They sound like that’s the funniest thing they’ve heard all year. “You’re asking me to break my own stuff? What kind of fool do you take me for? You’ll be no good as my pet if you’re shattered.”

Sans’s shoulders slump and he stares at the floor. So much for that hope...he supposes it would be too merciful for someone like Chara. 

“Now you stay in there and think about your recent behavior, ungrateful mutt. And if I don’t feel you’ve learned something, I’ll leave you in there again-- With the shock collar.”

Sans winces, “yes master.”

There’s a click, and a loud, constant ticking fills the closet. Sans frowns. That’s going to get annoying.

 

Chara smirks as they hit another button. Asgore had been extremely curious as to why they’d wanted an isolation chamber like this, but they’d just grinned at him. Now with the room soundproofed, it shouldn’t be long before Sans cracked and started craving their company. 

With a smirk on their lips, they carry Sans’s SOUL over to their bed and set it on the nightstand.


	8. Test Your Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans spends a bit of time in isolation and then does a Bad Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Trash Mom sits in her office chair, humming and crocheting a hat*

_ Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.  _

Sans clutches the sides of his skull. How long has he been in here?

_ Tick, tick, tick, tick. _

His head hurts. His mouth feels as though it's been stuffed with cotton. 

_ Tick tick tick tick. _

It’s dark. It's cold. He’s alone. The kid won't answer his screams for them. Chara’s closed off the bond. 

_ Ticktickticktick _ .

And that godforsaken ticking  _ won't  _ **_stop_ ** ! In a desperate move he starts punching the wall where the noise is emanating from, as if he can destroy the source.

Instead, pain courses through his body, courtesy of his absent SOUL. Sans curls up tighter against the corner, holding his arms over his head and trembling. Why is Chara doing this to him? What did he do wrong?

_ ‘when do i ever do anything  _ **_right_ ** _ …’ _ Sans squeezes his eyes shut, digging his fingers into the bone of his skull. It hurts. Good.

It stops after a moment and he feels soothing strokes on the damned thing, as though in apology, and then nothing.

“m-make it s-stop for the l-love of f-fuck…” Sans whimpers.

But there's no one to hear him. He can't even remember what he did to earn his time in solitary. He upset Chara, that much he knows, but the actual actions escape him. Maybe it was something he said.

Sans opens the Bonder link, but then hesitates.

What if asking for MERCY will just extend his sentence?

But what else can he do? He can't take much more of this…

_ ‘...........................master….?’  _ He’ll try and read their tone. If they even answer. 

There’s a moment of silence, then, ‘ _ What is it, Sansy?’ _

_ ‘can i please come out…’ _

**_‘Beg.’_ **

Why won’t the ticking  _ stop  _ why won’t the ticking stop why won’t it stop why won’t it  _ stop _ ?!

_ ‘please master please i want out i want out i want out i  _ **_want out i want o̲̙̜͈ͯͅu̴͈̘̩̞̩t̯̭̤̠̠͓̟͒͆ͣ̐̏̓̀̚-!_ ** _ ’ _

‘ _ Sans, be  _ **_calm_ ** _ or you'll spend longer in there!’  _

**It’s not stopping...**

_ ‘please let me out please it’s driving me insane i’m already losing it master please i want out i can’t take it any longer!’ _

There’s silence from the bond for a moment that seems to last an eternity. ‘ _ Promise you'll be a good puppy and not an ungrateful mutt.’ _

Was that it? He just needs to say thank you more? He can do that. That’s easy so lo **ng as the ticking stops** !

_ ‘i promise i’ll be a good puppy i promise please let me out…’ _

There's another maddening moment of silence and then the cupboard door opens with a soft creak, the ticking going silent. Chara is peering in at him. Sans practically throws himself out of the door, curling up on the floor by Chara’s feet and holding his hands over his head, panting.

Chara reaches down and scoops him into their arms. “Shhh…”

Sans wraps his arms tightly around their neck, his breathing shaky as he tries to calm down. A minute longer in there and he would have lost his last shred of sanity, he’s sure of it.

Chara carries him over to their bed and sits down, rubbing the back of his spine gently. “You're out, it's okay.”

“i-i-i’m s-sorry..i-i’m s-sorry, th-thank you…”

“Shhh… breathe.” They mutter.

“th-thank you..”

Their arms around him are warm and secure, and they pet him absently while they mumble reassuring nonsense. Sans ends up passing out after a bit, feeling safe.

He’s probably said ‘thank you’ enough times to earn a quick nap…

  
  


He wakes up curled into Chata’s side while they read. The blanket from his bed is spread over him. He feels warm. He stares up at them, and then shifts, trying to see what they’re looking at.

“Morning, Sansy~!” They chirp. “You were out for a while.”

“h...h-how long…?”

“Most of the afternoon and all night.”

Sans rubs at his temple, “...my skulls’ still ticking…” He says hoarsely.

“Aww, poor puppy. It'll go away after a while. Or it should, anyway.” They reach under their book to scratch him under the chin.

Sans’s leg twitches and he closes his eyes, resting his head against their leg and resting his tail more closely against himself. 

“You're cute when you sleep, you know.” Chara murmurs, setting the book aside to give him their full attention. “Do you want more pets?”

“yes please, master.”

“Good boy.” They mumble, pulling him into their lap. “That's the right answer.”

Sans shudders. He  _ knew  _ there was a wrong answer, but hearing it confirmed causes his anxiety to spike.

“Aw, what's wrong now?”

“i’m fine…” 

“Why do you always  **_lie_ ** , Sansy? It's ridiculously obvious and only serves to make me angry.”

“..y-you just scare me…”

“Good.”

Sans swallows and goes silent again. 

There's quiet for a few minute as Chara continues administering petting and cuddling to the shaking skeleton. ‘ _ It's a good thing he's scared of me, it means he won't dare attack me.’ _

Sans’s eye twitches as he senses something through the Bonder,  _ ‘did you say something master?’ _

Chara jolts. “Er…” An image crosses their mind without their consent, Sans blasting the Moldbygg into less than dust.

Sans is silent for a moment, and then snorts.

“What?” Chara snaps.

“you’re  _ scared _ ?”

“ **_No!_ ** ”

Sans flinches slightly at the volume of their voice, “...’kay…”

Chara scowls at their book. ‘ _ Not scared, just a bit freaked out is all. Why would I be afraid of a little mutt like him? _ ’ 

“that’s a good question..”

Chara jumps. “Will you stop that?!”

“you’re sending your thoughts to me…”

“Well I'm not trying to, you stupid dog! Just shut up and lie there or you'll sleep in the closet tonight!” Their angry tone seems… off. Their voice is shaking slightly.

“....master, how... _ how  _ can you be scared of me?  _ How _ …?”

“You-- You’re--  **_You’re fucking dangerous, Sans!_ ** ”

He’s quiet for a moment, and then he starts shaking. Chara mistakes it as more fearful trembling until they start to hear muffled laughter.

They scowl down at him for a moment, crossing their arms.

The sound only gets louder until Sans is curled around himself, hugging his stomach and struggling to breathe through his hysterics.

Chara growls. “You think that’s funny!?”

“i-it’s f-f-fucking h-hilarious…” Sans wheezes.

“ **_And why the fuck would you think that you mangy mutt?!_ ** ” 

Sans wipes at his teary eyes, “b-because...wh-why...why w-would  _ you  _ e-ever see m-me as a threat…?” He grins, but it’s a broken expression. “k-killing you... _ h-hurting  _ you a-at all...i-it’s pointless...th-the only th-thing that w-would accomplish is m-more pain for m-me...it’s  _ p-pointless _ …”

“That never stopped you before  _ this _ .”

“ _ because before ‘this’ i f-fuckin’ wasn’t broken _ !” Sans’s laughter starts to sound more like crying as his eyes squint up, “i h-had  _ h-hope  _ i w-was s-stupid and th-thought you c-could fucking  _ change... _ th-that jokes’ r-real f-fucking old b-by this p-point, m-master..”

Chara snickers, sitting back against the headboard. “I suppose it is silly, Sansy.”

His breath hitches and he rests his head against his arms, trembling, “th-there’s no r-reason for m-me to h-hurt you...wh-what f-fucking good w-would it do me…?”

“None whatsoever.” Chara drawls, tracing patterns on the back of his skull with their index finger.

“th-there’s no p-point…”

“That’s right.” 

“n-never b-been any…”

“Mmmhmm.” Chara agrees absently, tracing a scar on the back of his head. It’s in the same place as the split from when they crushed his skull under their shoe. Sans shudders and curls up tighter, giving a muffled whine.

They dig their nails into it. “Something wrong, puppy?”

Sans yelps, trying to pull away, “s-stop!”

“No.” They snap. “I do what I want with you!” They grab his head and hold it still with their free hand, scraping at the death scar.

“b-be n-nice b-be n-nice p-please b-be n-nice m-master…!”

“Why should I?”

“h-hard t-to b-be a g-g-good p-pet t-t-to a m-mean m-master…”

“And yet every time I try to be nice you throw it in my face!” They spit, scratching roughly at the back of his skull.

Sans screams and then starts sobbing, covering his eyes with his hands as if that could block out the pain and fear.

“You want me to stop?!  **_Act like it_ ** ! I shouldn’t have to tell you to beg by now! You should just be  _ doing it _ !” 

“p-please s-stop p-please s-stop please p-ple-ease…”

“ **_That’s not good enough!_ ** ”

“ _ i’m never good en-nough _ !” Sans screams, putting his hands where Chara’s are and digging into the break with his own fingers,  _ “can’t you  _ **_get that_ ** _ can’t you see can’t you  _ **_understand why does nobody understand_ ** …!”

Chara growls and grabs both of his wrists, using them as leverage to yank him into a kneeling position on the mattress, and holding both his slim, bony wrists in one hand above his head. “You don’t get to hurt yourself. That’s  _ my _ job. Understand?”

Sans whimpers and nods, ducking his head.  _ ‘deserve it stupid weakling deserve it why do i fight it why do i ask for it to stop it’ll never stop why do i try…’ _

“Good.” They release one of his hands, but hold the other firmly, grasping one of his fingers in their other.  _ Snap _ !

Sans screams and collapses forward onto Chara, sobbing and burying his face into their shoulder.

_ Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!  _ Chara breaks each of the fingers on his right hand in turn, then releases his hand to pet his skull gently. His crying eventually dies down into shaky hiccups, clinging to them with his unbroken hand and tucking his tail between his legs.

“There you go. Good boy.” They coo, smirking down at him. “It’s not so bad.”

“p-p-p-pet m-m-me p-please p-pet m-me…”

Chara raises an eyebrow at him. They’re perfectly willing to coddle him, but he doesn’t seem to grasp that they want him to work for it. He desperately rubs his head against their shoulder, forcing out shaky purrs between his whimperings. “please p-please p-please..”

_ ‘please please please please please please…’ _

“Awww.” Chara smiles, rubbing his spine gently. “So cute. See, it’s not so difficult to please me, puppy.”

Sans hiccups, awkwardly lying himself down in their lap and pressing up against their body, shivering and trying to steal some of their warmth.

“Your clothes came back from the laundry while you were in your cupboard.” Chara says casually, continuing to pet him. “You’ll need them for when we go to dinner in a couple of hours.”

Sans freezes up, “wh...wh-what…”

“Aren’t you hungry? It’s been days since I’ve fed you…”

“wh...no. n-n-no i don’t w….i d-don’t wanna l-leave here, p-please, master, i d-d-don’t wanna leave th-this room i don’t want to be s...i d-don’t want to be  _ seen _ ..”

“Oh, you’ll be fine. It’s not like you’ll have to do tricks or crawl.” They glare down at him. 

Sans relaxes (very reluctantly) at that, “...i...i w-won’t…?”

“Not until you’re ready, and not for punishment. Didn’t I  _ say _ that? Repeatedly?!”

Sans shrinks into himself, “y-you’re right...y-you’re right, i-i-i-i’m sorry m-master i’m s-stupid i-i’m sorry p-please forgive m-me…”

“Dumb dog.” They mutter, giving him another pat.

“s-s-stupid p-puppy…” Sans agrees, squeezing his eyes shut.

“But it’s okay. Master still wants to keep you.”

“th..th-thank you…”

Chara laughs and scratches him under the chin. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

Sans forces out a purr although he feels more like sobbing, squeezing his eyes shut to try and prevent more tears from escaping.

“Do you want your clothes now or would you rather wait until we need to leave?”

“i-i-i...i-i d-don’t w-wanna m-move…”

“Alright, puppy. You can stay there.”

Sans closes his eyes, forcing himself to relax. “th-thank you master…”

Chara smiles, leaning back and closing their eyes. This is nice.

Sans lets out a silent sigh of relief, glad that they’ve finally stopped hurting him, for now.

...this is okay…

 

It’s a while before a knock on the door disturbs the pair. “Prinx? Your father requires you in the dining room.” 

“Thanks Tiffany.” Chara calls back. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Sans sits up slowly, keeping his hands braced on the mattress as he lowers his legs over the side and struggles to keep himself standing. Chara shoots him a grin before hopping down themself, darting over to their wardrobe and removing his clothes. They throw them in his general direction and dig for an outfit of their own. 

He manages to dress himself, but barely. He pulls his jacket over his shoulders, hugging the fabric closely to his body and taking in a slow breath. He feels better.

Chara’s waiting by the door, the leash in their hand. “Come, Sansy!”

Sans swallows and approaches them, keeping his head down and his hands in his pockets. They clip the leash to his collar and happily tug him into the hallway. He stumbles after, rubbing at his knees when they pause and trying to stay on his feet. 

It’s a few minutes before Sans realizes he doesn’t have his SOUL. He considers asking, but then decides to keep his mouth shut. He can go a few hours without it. It won’t hurt too much.

...of course he was without it all during his solitary, which was a couple of days long…

Sans shudders and tries not to think about it. But now that it’s crossed his mind, he’s afraid. What if he collapses during dinner? Chara might be… angry…

“...m-master…?” He whispers, half of him still screaming at himself to shut up.

The human stops short and turns to look at him.

“...m-my SOUL…?”

Oh, shit, they left it on their nightstand. “What about it?”

“i..i-i m-might p-pass out if i h-have to g-go much l-longer without it..”

They cross their arms. This is their fuck up, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be fair about it. They’re still kind of miffed about his outburst earlier. “You’ll survive. And if you don’t…” They leave the threat hanging.

“...why…?” Sans squints his eyes, “..i..i-it’s not something i can  _ help _ , master…”

Chara smacks him. “Quit whining.”

Sans stumbles back easily at the relatively light blow, struggling to get back to his feet, “it...i-i thought you w-were  _ fair _ …”

“You not having your SOUL is part of your punishment. I let you out of your closet early, you don’t get your SOUL back early.”

“o-okay but i c-can’t help it i-if i p-pass out, master-”

“Sansy. Stop arguing or you go back in the closet!”

He stares at them for a minute, saying nothing. They find themselves not liking the look in his eyes.

“Look, just make it through dinner and you can have it back.” They grumble. “I doubt you’ll collapse in that amount of time. And if you do, I won’t punish you for it.”

“thank you.”

“I will be punishing you for your disrespect, though.”

“okay master.”

“Good boy. Now get up.” They turn and walk off without waiting for him to scramble to his feet.

Sans stands up, putting his hands in his pockets and keeping his head down as he follows after them, keeping pace to avoid having to feel the tug on his neck. His broken hand throbs, but he tries to block it out.

Chara enters the dining room, Sans trotting behind them. They rush up to Asgore, throwing their arms around his side. “Hi Daddy!”

Sans chokes as the lead is pulled harshly, stumbling forward and bracing a hand against his throat.

Whatever Asgore answers with is lost to Sans amongst his coughing as he attempts to regain his breath. Chara’s already taken their seat by the time he can look around. They’ve tied his leash to their chair, it seems. He plops down to the ground and rests his head against the side of their seat, closing his eyes.

The chatter of the dinner guests buzzes above him, and he cringes after recognizing Papyrus’s voice. But Sans refuses to open his eyes until there’s a soft clack on the floor in front of him. He cracks open an eye to see a bright green dog dish filled with pasta on the pristine tiles. A weak scowl crosses his face and he draws his legs in, making no move to eat.

Too many eyes.

Chara glances down at him after a while. “Sansy, your dinner is getting cold~.”

Sans looks up at them for a second, and then sticks a couple fingers in the bowl, dragging it closer towards himself.

“He’s not very well trained yet, I’m afraid.” Chara says in an apologetic tone to somebody across the table. Their foot lashes out, catching him in the ribs. “No hands.” 

Sans swears and drops the bowl, rubbing at his ribs and feeling his sharp teeth clenching.

“Eat.” Chara glares down at him. “People worked hard on that, mutt.”

Sans’s eye twitches and he braces a hand over his sternum, tilting his head. Weird...without his SOUL it’s like he can forget about the Split..he can forget about his fear...he supposes it follows the same sort of logic of being Shattered, in a way..a broken SOUL can’t feel anymore. And an absent one...he supposes he just gets to ‘forget’ certain, annoying emotions, like fear…

Chara does not like his expression. Not one bit. ‘ _ Don’t do anything stupid.’ _

_ ‘what makes you think it’d be stupid.’ _

Chara raises an eyebrow at him. ‘ _ Didn’t we have this discussion a few hours ago?’ _

_ ‘what's your point?’  _ Sans leans back against the chair, idly examining his hand.

Chara eyes him for a moment. ‘ _ Do what you want, puppy. But you’d better be prepared for the consequences.’ _

Sans just tilts his head back and grins up at them widely. 

Chara turns their attention back to their meal, mind racing. They hear Sans give a low chuckle that rattles their chair slightly. They recognize his current behavior. This isn’t going to end well, Chara knows, and they’ll need to have a punishment ready in their mind for when he crosses the line.

They glance back down at him a few minutes later - his bowl is empty and he's leaning back against their chair with his hands folded over his stomach and his eyes closed. 

They don’t trust the serene expression. Most especially because of the subtle smirk on his face. 

Yeah, he definitely needs to be interrogated and punished. They know he can feel the Bonder even without his SOUL in his body…they go through dinner very tense, every nerve strung out. They're prepared for anything he could do, except for what he actually does.

Nothing. 

Still, with their rising stress level comes a rising anger. He’s trying to rile them up, and it's working. Well. 

They'll have to be absolutely certain he regrets this.

 

By the time dinner is over, Sans feels very light-headed, and he's positive he'll probably pass out on the way back to the room. He can't even get himself to stand when Chara does, instead slumping to the floor and holding one hand to the side of his skull. 

Chara isn't in the mood to coddle him, though, and simply drags him across the dining room by the lead. They hear him laughing once or twice, and he murmurs something along the lines of how that meal was ‘such a drag’.

‘ _ Well I hope you enjoyed that bit of rebellion, Sansy, because I am  _ royally _ pissed. _ ’ Chara thinks, not intentionally sending but not really caring if they are.

_ ‘hehheh...good one, Prinx.’ _

Chara grits their teeth, and then the world spins for a moment. 

It's dark, it's cold, and there’s an extremely loud ticking filling the air.

_ ‘ah fuck.’ _

‘ _ Mmmhmm. So that little show of yours? Trying to make me look bad? Utterly pointless.’ _ They yank open the door and glare down at him.

_ ‘well, yeah. everything is.’ _

“I think it's time to remind you of your place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad Times ahead folks


	9. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has many, many regrets.

“you want me to remember? then give me back my SOUL, Chara. i’ll be back to how i was in no time.”

Chara seems to already know this, as they shove the little heart into his hands. Sans examines it, running his finger down the Split. “isn't it weird?” He murmurs. 

Chara rolls their eyes, physically grabs his hands, and shoves them into his ribcage to force the SOUL back into its proper position. “It's worthless, is what it is.”

Sans screams immediately and curls over himself, gasping as if resurfacing for air after hours of suffocating, “ _ ghg! m-master i’m so sorry!”  _ He cries. 

“ **_Not. Good. Enough._ ** ” They growl, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him into the air. “ **_You’ve_ ** **_really_ ** **_pissed me off, Sansy. You promised you'd be a good puppy but you embarrassed me in front of everyone!_ ** ” They grin sadistically at him. “ **_If you won't keep your promises, why should I keep mine?_ ** ”

_ “that wasn't me!”  _ Sans chokes, shutting his eyes against that horrible grin.  _ “i w-would never h-have done that it w-wasn’t  _ **_me_ ** _ it w-wasn’t your puppy, master!”  _

Chara slams him against the wall. “‘ **_That wasn't me master! I'm soooorry! Please don't hurt me!_ ** ’” Their tone is mocking, but turns icy. “ **_That_ ** was **_you, and you know it!_ ** ”

Sans shakes his head, sobbing and trying to catch a breath. It  _ wasn't _ it wasn't him that had been a  _ ghost,  _ an echo of his former self, not  _ him _ but how could he make them believe him? “p-please..!”

“ _I know how SOULS_ _work, Sansy! I know that wasn't_ you _, right here and now, but it was still you. Still_ ** _your_** _behavior. Just because you didn't have full access to your emotions and recent memory does_ ** _not_** _mean you get to sass me without consequence!_ ”

Sans hiccoughs, forcing his eyes to open just slightly, “wh-wh-what a-are y-y-you g-g-going to d-do t-to m-me…?”

“ **_Whatever the fuck I want. And if you don't cooperate and take your punishments like a good boy--_ ** whatever  **_I decide they are, then I will make them worse._ ** ”

Sans nods, shutting his eyes again and quivering. Chara throws him against the wall, storming over to their wardrobe and pulling out his jacket.They throw it at him. “Put this on and sit by the door. We’re going for a walk.” 

Sans crawls over against the wall as he zips up the coat, his vision blurring and shifting as his breathing gets lighter. 

“Quit crying! You brought this on yourself.” Chara snarls, stomping over and clipping the lead to his collar. “I  **_won’t tolerate_ ** this kind of behavior.”

Sans braces a hand over his mouth, forcibly muting himself and ducking his head. Chara solves the voice problem a moment later by forcing him into the muzzle and tying it tight, tighter than they ever have before. Sans cries out, feeling the bone of his jawline beginning to fracture.

**“** So Sansy. Tell me. Are you going to be a good, obedient puppy that takes his punishment like a big boy so Master can be kind to him again? Or are you going to fight me and beg to stop and make things even worse?”

_ ‘i’m going to be good..i’m going to be a good boy i promise i’m gonna be a g-good b-boy…’ _

“Good. That's good.” They nod, tugging his leash to drag him out the door. “Then it's time to go somewhere I haven't had to bring you in a while! Let's go to the table, Sansy!”

Sans holds his breath to mute his urge to start crying, crawling after them and completely ignoring the looks this gets him. He can’t worry about what anyone else is thinking right now. He has to focus on being good, he has to be  _ flawless  _ or they’re going to fucking destroy him.

And it's all his fault. He'd known, part of him, anyway, when he'd been at that dinner, that this was going to happen. He knew the torture he'd been setting himself up for was going to be horrible and he hadn't cared.

Sans would be the last person to care about himself - nobody hates him more than him.

Chara hums as they drag him down the dungeon stairs and into the familiar torture chamber. They drop the leash and instruct him to strip down and lie facedown on the table and stay. Sans drags himself onto the silver slab, trembling as he lies down and shuts his eyes. 

“Death scars are permanent, right Sansy?” It's something Chara’s suspected for a while, but not something they had confirmed until his over the top reaction to their fingers digging into the scar on the back of his head.

_ ‘y-yes master…’ _ Sans nods, hiccuping and gripping the edges of the table tightly.

“Good.” They vanish into the hallway without another word, locking the door behind them and leaving Sans alone. 

_ ‘where did you go…?’ _

‘ _ To get some tools. Dumb mutt.’ _

_ ‘i’m sorry…’ _

The bond is silent. Sans tries to focus on controlling his breathing. He takes in a breath to the count of three, finding that he can’t breathe in too deeply while face down against the table. He lifts himself up just slightly so he can breathe, gasping and swallowing deeply.

Chara returns a few minutes later and saunters over to him. They have something strange in their hands, a mid-size metal pole with a flat piece of metal on the end. It's shining with the ethereal light of enchanted metal. Sans stares at it for a moment before shutting his eyes tightly and laying flat against the table.

“Do you know what this is, puppy?”

He shakes his head.  _ ‘n-no master…’ _

“It's a branding iron. Just a little something to remind you who you belong to~.” They walk over to the SAVE point and use it.

Sans freezes up,  _ ‘are you going to tie me down?’ _

“No. And if you struggle, I'm going to  _ beat you _ with it.”

_ ‘master please i-..’ _ Sans quickly cuts himself off.

“That better have been ‘Master please I really want to be branded’.” Chara growls. “Because I want to hear you  **_beg for it_ ** .”

Sans feels tears slip down his cheeks,  _ ‘m-master p-please b-brand m-me..’ _

“I'm not convinced.” They cross their arms.

_ “you’re never good enough. why the fuck do you even try?” _

_ ‘p..p-please b-b-brand m-me i w-want to b-be marked as y-y-yours m-master i w-want you to brand me p-please brand m-me m-make it h-hurt i d-deserve it…’ _

“That's better, I suppose. Hold still.” They position the flat end above his shoulder blade, holding it barely a centimeter above the trembling bone.

_ “well great fucking job. you did good enough to get fucking branded. are you proud of yourself?” _

Sans grips the table tightly, breathing heavily through his teeth and trying to block out the voice as he feels the heat licking at his bones.

Chara presses it down and holds it firmly against the bone. The metal immediately goes from barely warm to white hot. Sans screams, his throat tearing up as he claws at the table, fighting between the instinct to move away from the pain and the instinct to obey his Breaker no matter what.

_ “go on. try and run. it’ll be hilarious. i dare you to try.” _

_ ‘shut up!’  _ Sans screams louder into the muzzle, the smell of burning bone making him sick,  _ ‘shut  _ **_up_ ** _ shut up shut up!’ _

It never seems to end. Chara won't lift the metal off of his back until some unknown deadline is reached. He eventually slumps against the table, feeling the full heat of the brand and every last bit of pain up until he crumbles away.

But then he’s back, lying against the table. His shoulder blade aches with the lingering pain, and then Chara is there, tracing his newest death scar with their finger. He hiccups, crying out weakly and whimpering. He arches his back, pushing his body against the table and gripping the sides tightly to try and keep from flinching away from them.

“That worked out better than I had hoped. Good boy, you didn't squirm.” They send a small pulse of reassurance alongside the praise.

Sans gives a moan of relief, going slack against the table and panting, his eyes half-open.  _ ‘good boy good boy good boy good boy…’ _

“We’re not done yet, though.” They add, a glint in their eye.

_ ‘no no no no no no no no…’ _

“Ex- _ cuse _ me?”

Sans quickly shuts off the link in the Bonder, trying to keep his despairing thoughts to himself.

“This time you get a choice, Sansy!” Chara grins. “ _ Quality time _ with some of the Guard, or--” They reach into the cart they'd brought with them, “you get to eat some of this!” They set a very large jar on the table beside his head. It's full of dust.

Sans shakes his head, and then remembers to open the link,  _ ‘no more rape no more rape no more rape please please no more rape anything else dust give me the dust-’ _

“I thought you’d pick the dust~.” The human grins. “Roll over, Sansy, I gotta tie you down.”

Sans obeys, crying out in relief as the burn scar touches the cold metal of the table, panting and feeling sweat drip down his forehead as he closes his eyes, “gh…”

Chara is far from gentle in strapping him down, and they make sure to make the strap on his shoulders extra tight. Only then do they deign to remove his muzzle, briefly eyeing the hairline fracture on his jaw. Then they grab the jar and tilt the table up, pulling a large spoon out and filling it up. “Before you get to eat, you need to thank me for branding you.”

Sans swallows, coughing and whimpering as he opens his mouth, straining the break in his skull, “th-th-thank y-y-you f-for b-branding me m-master th-thank you e-everyone’ll kn-know i’m y-yours th-they’ll know n-now th-they’ll kn-know wh-whose i a-am th-thank you th-thank you th-th-thank y-you..”

“Good boy, you're very welcome. Now open up.”

Sans parts his mouth wide, shutting his eyes. He resists the urge to ask who the dust belongs to.

Chara gives him another few bites, grinning at the little coughs and whimpers he lets out. He then suddenly pulls back, his expression twisting up into something unreadable. “h-hh..”

“ **_What?_ ** ” 

“h-h _ kw!”  _ Sans suddenly sneezes, jolting at the force of it and shaking his head, sniffing and snorting as he tries to get the dust out of his nose.

Chara wants to be angry. Really they do. 

But that was fucking adorable. They squee.

Sans just sneezes again, his eyes squinting shut.

Momentary lapse in anger over, they shove another spoonful in his face. Sans chokes it down, curling his tail around his leg and shuddering.

“Better get used to it, there are three more jars after this~.”

“ggh..” Sans grimaces, quaking in his bonds. “y-yes m-master..” He can’t complain he can’t complain he can’t say a damn word of complaint he doesn’t want to be raped not again..

Chara just grins and gives him more. Sans swallows obediently, although he starts silently crying as they open up the second jar.

“You picked this.” They say simply.

He nods miserably, hiccuping and coughing at the dryness of his mouth.

“You can have a drink-- if you beg.”

“p-please c-can i have s-some water m-master p-please i n-need water p-please j-just a quick d-drink i w-want water p-please please…”

“More. I shouldn't have tell you that anymore!”

“p-please p-please t-take c-care of your p-puppy t-take care of m-me p-please please m-master please i n-need water please  _ please  _ p-please-!” Sans breaks off into a coughing fit, wheezing and choking on stray clumps of dust.

A bottle radiating a chill is placed to his teeth. It smells sweet, but the bottle is not see-through. He braces his teeth against it and sucks it down anyway.

It tastes metallic… He frowns at Chara as they set it aside and offer another bite of dust. Sans’s stomach rolls and he starts gagging, dry heaving and feeling his head grow light.

“You can have actual water if you can make it through the rest of this jar.”

“wh...wh-what w-was th-that wh-what w-was th-that…”

“Are you sure you want to know, puppy? You might not like the answer.”

“..it was blood...oh m-my god th-that w-was b-blood w-wasn’t it…”

“Yep~.”

Sans’s eyes roll back and he goes limp.

Chara rolls their eyes and reloads.

Sans gives a cry as he opens his eyes, gasping and choking on the ghost taste in his mouth.

“Looks like you have to start over, Sansy~.”

He immediately starts sobbing, tears spilling out from his sockets as Chara turns him over.  _ ‘no no no no no no no…’ _

“We could always do the other thing~.”

_ ‘no...no no no nonononononononononononono you  _ **_can’t_ ** _ -!’ _

“Well. Why  **_not_ ** ?” They grab his chin and tilt it up. “I can do what I want to you. You belong to me.”

_ ‘MERCY MERCY MERCY MERCY MERCY!’ _

“Sans.” The human scolds. “Do I need to make it a public event? ‘Come fuck the doggy!’ in the castle courtyard today at noon! ‘All comers welcome! Just one gold a go!’”

_ ‘you wouldn’t..’ _

“Do you want to try me, Sansy? You’re starting to piss me off again.”

_ ‘please...please no please i’ll Shatter you don’t want me to Shatter right you can’t do that to me i’ll Shatter i s-swear i will…’ _

“I don’t think you will. I think you’re underestimating yourself.”

_ “why are you fighting it. trust me, Shattering is the best thing that can happen to you. just let it.” _

_ ‘shut up! shut up no i don’t want to _ !’ Sans jerks his head to the side, glaring at the hint of a ghost in his vision, knowing his sanity is slipping but unable to do anything to stop it. He can imagine the smug grin on the hallucination’s face and it adds to his panic.

Chara watches this in confusion before concluding that it’s either Frisk or a break from reality. Either way, it’s nothing to worry about. “Come on, Sansy.” They pick up his jacket and hand it to him. “We’re going to the break room~.”

Sans manages to at least wrap it around himself, but his arms are shaking too badly for him to even manage to put it on properly. He slinks after them, staying close and resting his head against the back of their shoulder.

“Once it’s over, we’ll have dinner and you can go to bed, okay? All you have to do is get through the last of your punishment.”

_ ‘please…’ _ Sans gets to his knees and wraps his arms around their waist, pressing his tear-soaked face into the back of their sweater,  _ ‘please _ …’

“Give me an alternative.”

_ ‘starve me. take my legs. take my arms. beat me. blind me. make me eat more dust just please master please not this..’ _

“Can’t you be a little more creative?”

_ ‘grind my legs to dust and make me eat it? i don’t know master please just not this..’ _

“I don’t knoooow.”

_ ‘i’ll be a good puppy.’  _ Sans whimpers, rubbing his head against their hand,  _ ‘i promise i will. please don’t let anybody else touch me. i still have nightmares. i still have nightmares please no more nightmares...’ _

“You already broke your promise to be a good puppy. How am I supposed to believe you this time?” They ask, rubbing the top of his skull.

Sans gets down on all fours, rubbing his head against their shin and walking close around them like a cat, forcing out purrs and whimpering as he braces his hands gently against their stomach, sitting back on his haunches and wagging his tail as he stares up at them with large, pleading eyes. They smile softly, petting him more, but they still have that glint in their eyes. “I  _ want _ to believe you’ll be good for me. But every time I give you a chance, you resist and fight back. You tell me no, you disrespect me. Why should I believe this time will be any different if I give you a break?”

_ ‘i’ll be the perfect puppy...i’ll be the best puppy master…’  _ Sans swallows,  _ ‘i love you...please don’t do this to me…’ _

“... You love me?”

Sans nods, pressing his head against their stomach and wagging his tail faster,  _ ‘i love my master…’ _

Chara can’t help it, they laugh. “Aren’t you just adorable? Just this once, Sansy. But next time you won’t be able to beg your way out of it, alright? Now come on, I do believe you have a date with an axe.”

Sans shudders but nods, clinging to them tighter before slowly pulling back and getting back to his hands and feet,  _ ‘yes master…’ _

Chara picks him up, toting him back to the torture room and setting him on the table. “I think your ankles, feet, and fingers will suffice, don’t you~?”

_ ‘whatever you think is best master..’ _

“That’s right. Lie down.”

Sans lies back, staring up at the ceiling and allowing his jaw to tremble as he sobs quietly. He shuts his eyes as he sees them approaching him with the sharp-bladed weapon.

His legs go first, one quick swing and then another. Chara doesn’t waste any time. Sans’s screams are garbled through the muzzle, and he feels his head growing light as he starts to lose consciousness. He shocks himself with his own magic to force himself to stay awake.

Chara takes note of that, petting him briefly and praising him for being a good boy before they take hold of his left hand. Their knife slides out of their sleeve and into their hand, and they position it over his thumb.

_ ‘won’t be able to hold their hand anymore…’  _ Sans realizes, his shut eyes squinting up as he gives a quiet sob.

“Something wrong? Surely puppies don’t need fingers.”

_ ‘i’m g-going to miss h-holding o-onto y-you b-but i-it’s f-fine i-i’m a g-good p-puppy i-i’ll take my p-punishment m-master g-go ahead g-g-go ah-head p-please…’ _

“That’s a good boy.” They coo, bringing the knife down quickly. Chara makes short work of his left hand, knowing they have a limited amount of time before he bleeds out. They have monster food in their inventory, but they want to be completely done before they worry about it.

Sans screams but pins his wrist down with his own magic, forcibly keeping it steady as he cries. 

Chara is visibly pleased with this as they walk around the table to work on his other hand. Briefly, they take a moment to slide theirs into his and brush their fingers over his knuckles. They might actually miss this too, but it will hardly be the end of the world. Sans’s fingers immediately curl over theirs, clinging to them tightly.

_ ‘love you love you love you i’m sorry i’m sorry…’ _

“Shhh.” They soothe, tugging their hand free gently. “One more to go.” They position their knife above his hand. “Master’s gonna take care of you after this, okay? We’ll go upstairs and you can have some dinner and some cuddles.”

Sans nods, hiccupping and sobbing.  _ ‘yes master…’ _

Chara doesn’t take long to cut off his remaining digits, grinning at the coppery smell of marrow in the air. They reach into their inventory and pull out a bottle of Spider Cider, pull off his muzzle, and hold it up to the helpless monster’s teeth. He sucks on it eagerly, whimpering and moaning quietly in relief as he feels his wavering HP stabilize. With the bleeding now stopped and the wounds closed up, Chara starts t treat them, wrapping his hands in bandages and then his stumps. They examine his jaw, making sure the fracture is healed.

Sans stares at them with bleary, half-closed eyes. He shocks himself again when they remove their hands, still fighting to stay awake.

Chara picks him up like a toddler, his pelvis supported by their arm and his head in the crook of their neck, and carry him out the door. His breathing is uneven, and catches often. He watches the walls of the jail as they pass by, trying to focus on counting the stone blocks to keep himself conscious. He thinks about asking Chara if it’s okay to sleep.

Chara keeps half an eye on the rest of the dungeon, but mostly pays attention to their dog. They’re worried. Sans shivers and presses his head further into the side of their neck as he hears mocking laughter from the prisoners, tucking his tail in and whimpering.

Chara pulls his jacket tighter around him, bunching up the collar and hood so he doesn’t have to look at the other prisoners. He weeps regardless, the feeling of shame in his SOUL weighing him down.

_ ‘stupid puppy stupid puppy stupid puppy stupid useless stupid stupid stupid… _ ’

“Shhhhhhhhhhh…” Chara hums, heading up the stairs. “They don’t matter. You’re  _ mine _ , not theirs.”

_ ‘everyone else hates me everyone else hates me i’m sorry i’m sorry..’ _

“ _ I  _ love you Sansy. That’s all that matters.”

_ ‘...you love me…?’ _

“Well of course? What kind of owner would I be if I didn’t love my puppy?” They smirk, reaching up with their free hand to stroke him.

Sans laps at their hand, forcing out a shaky purr and nuzzling in closer against them. Chara giggles.

They’re both quiet for most of the rest of the walk back to Chara’s room. “Dinner should be in a few hours.” They say, checking the clock. “Do you want a nap?”

He nods, sniffing and pawing at their arm. They set him down in the pet bed, grabbing his blanket off their own and tossing it over. Sans whines and reaches for them again, sniffling and hiccuping.

The human raises an eyebrow at him, sitting on their bed. “Yes, Sansy?”

_ ‘snuggle me...please please please i want you to hold me master please…’ _

“Use words, Sansy. Talk to me.”

Sans blinks, as if suddenly remembering he has a voice.

“...i...i w-want you to c-cuddle me…”

They pat their knee. “Come here then.”

Sans shakes off the blanket and crawls to the bed. He jumps, his fingerless palms scraping at the blankets before he falls off the side and back to the floor. 

Chara frowns, reaching down and picking him up. “You just need practice. You’ll get used to it.” They set him on the blankets beside them.

Sans sniffs, putting his head in their lap and drawing his knees up to his forehead,  _ ‘thank you for not laughing at me…’ _

Chara scoffs, rubbing his spine and eyeing the Delta Rune branded into his shoulder blade. Sans tries to purr but it catches in his throat as he hiccups again, shuddering and whimpering.

“Sleep, Sansy.”

_ ‘...is my punishment done for today master…?’ _

“Yes. You did a good job.” They praise. They add the ‘happy’ feelings to his SOUL, watching him in concern. They don’t want him to Shatter, just break.

_ ‘i’m sorry…’ _

“It’s over now.”

_ ‘i’m such a bad puppy i’m so sorry…’ _

“You’re not bad, you just screw up sometimes. I still love you even when you do.”

_ ‘i love you….’ _

“I’m glad. Now sleep.”

_ ‘..y-yes master…’  _ Sans closes his eyes, still tensing wherever they touch him.

Chara waits until his breathing evens out before they relax. Fuck that was a delicate situation. That could've blown up in their face so many times… but it hadn't. He’s stronger than they thought.

They aren’t sure how to feel about that...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what a good puppo


	10. Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans tries to be a good doggie for his master.
> 
> As with everything, though, he fucks it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trash Mom was originally going to call this chapter 'Bark Bark Motherfucker' but then I realized that was probably the sleep deprivation talking.

Sans wakes up to Chara tugging his shorts onto him. “It's time for dinner.” They say when they notice his open eye sockets. Sans nods, crawling off the bed and stumbling to his knees as he’s cruelly reminded about his lack of feet.

Chara rolls their eyes and picks him back up, setting him on the bed so they can finish dressing him. They tug his shirt over his head and then help him maneuver his arms into his jacket.

_ ‘th-thank you…’ _

They give him a pat on the head before setting him onto the ground and clipping his lead to the collar. “You hungry?”

_ ‘yes master.’ _

“Good. Now this time you're going to behave properly and beg the maid for your dinner, right?”

Sans gulps, feeling his gut twist. He lowers his eyes and nods.  _ ‘y...yes, master…’ _

“If you embarrass me again I will not be lenient.” 

_ ‘...i..i-i understand…’ _

“I will not be holding your hand through this meal. I expect you to behave as you've been trained.”

He nods again,  _ ‘yes master..’ _

“Good. Now come on, it's a ways to walk.” They head out the bedroom door.

Sans takes in a deep breath and crawls after them, struggling to keep pace. He hasn’t eaten in days and his body is all too eager to protest its lack of nourishment. He pushes onward, reminding himself that he’s going to eat soon, as long as he keeps Chara happy with him. Eventually they make it to the dining room. Sans cowers back, hiding behind Chara’s legs and keeping his eyes down.

The human happily jumps on Asgore with a cry of ‘Daddy!”

Sans huddles next to the chair legs of the same seat Chara had taken last time, pulling his knees up to his chin and pretending he can’t feel all the eyes on him or hear all the whispering.

Chara chats with the same person from last time, and Sans listens to their voice, ignoring the words and focusing on the actual tone. He’s afraid to shut his eyes. What if the maid comes and gives him food without him begging first? 

 

It’s few minutes later when servers exit the kitchen and start distributing food. Sans watches them with mild curiosity. Eventually a cat woman in a maid’s uniform walks up to Chara and speaks with them briefly before  turning to Sans.

“...m-may i p-please h-have some f-food, m-miss…?”

‘ _ Strike one. _ ” Chara thinks. 

The maid frowns briefly at them, but they give her a small shake of the head and she straightens.

Sans’s breath hitches in panic and he sits back on his haunches, shutting his eyes and putting his ‘hands’ (or what gruesome bits remain of them) up at his chest, “p-please..”

He tries to ignore the muffled swears of horror and muted laughter he can hear from the nearby dinner guests.

_ ‘ugly fucking mutilated freak…’ _

This time Chara nods at the maid, who sets the bowl down, giving Sans a big smile, and walks off. He slumps down, putting his face into the food and devouring it greedily as his empty stomach takes control.

‘ _ Strike two. Already. I’m almost impressed. _ ” Chara thinks, picking up their own fork and digging into their pasta.

Sans freezes up,  _ ‘what am i doing wrong…?’ _

‘ _ You didn’t ask to eat, you stupid mutt. _ ’

He pulls back immediately, coughing and dragging his palm across his face, shaking badly,  _ ‘please may i eat please please i’m so hungry please…’ _

‘ _ It’s a little late for that. It’s nearly gone. _ ’

_ ‘i’m so sorry i’m so so sorry i’m so sorry please don’t have me raped please please please…’ _

‘ _ You have one more strike. Don’t fuck up again. _ ’

Sans huddles against the chair, shutting his eyes and not moving. Maybe if he does  _ nothing  _ then he won’t do anything wrong…

‘ _ Eat! _ ’

He snaps back forward onto the ground, fast enough to make the nearby seated guests jolt a little in surprise. He licks the bowl clean even as he feels the eyes on him. 

‘ _ Better.’ _

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BROTHER, PRINX?” He hears Papyrus’s voice cut through the buzz of conversation.

Sans’s eyes widen and he dives under Chara’s chair, shaking and covering his face with his arms.

“Well, Captain, I decided that he didn’t need all those extra limbs. He tried to attack me, so I made it so he couldn’t do it again.”

_ ‘not my fault not my fault he’s here not my fault he’s here i can’t get in trouble for him i can’t i can’t i can’t i don’t know how to stop him i don’t want him seeing me Papyrus Papyrus i’m sorry i’m sorry Papyrus just leave just get out of here please don’t let them have me raped you’re going to get me in trouble i can’t do this again please please leave just leave…!’ _

‘ _ Hush _ .” Chara gently nudges his head with their foot. 

“YOU CUT OFF HIS FEET AND MUTILATED HIS HANDS!”

Sans shuts off the Bonder connection and buries his face into the floor, breathing through his teeth and struggling to keep from hyperventilating.

“And what are you gonna do about it?”

“I- I AM-”

‘ _ PAPYRUS JUST LEAVE! LEAVE JUST LEAVE WHY ARE YOU STILL TRYING YOU’RE GOING TO GET ME IN TROUBLE JUST LEAVE!’ _

It takes a long moment of silence for Sans to realize that he’d spoken that thought aloud. At a very high volume.

Chara stares down at him, looking shocked. Actually, there are a lot of shocked eyes on him.

“.... I AM GOING TO RESIGN.”

Sans just curls up on his side, crying into his knees and feeling close to just screaming until he passes out.

“You do that.” Chara drawls, reaching down to pet Sans. “Thank you for freaking out my dog.”

_ ‘strike three strike three strike three oh my god no no no please no oh god no it hurts it always hurts it still hurts please no-’ _

‘ _ Sans! You’re still on strike two! Breathe.’ _

The command makes him remember that he hasn’t been doing that and he gasps in air, his whole body shaking and then going limp against the cold floor as he struggles to breathe, crying and putting his palms over his face to muffle the sound. Chara continues to pet him, sending soothing pulses through the bonder, trying to calm him down quickly.

Eventually he falls silent, simply trembling and hiccuping quietly, but he stays under their chair, close to their hand. Now that he's not in danger of a stress-induced fracture, Chara turns their attention back to their own dinner. 

Sans shuts his eyes,  _ ‘may i please sleep..’ _

‘ _ Ask out loud. Use your words. Address me properly.’ _

“....m-m-m-may i p-please s-s-sleep m-m-master…”

“You may.” They nod, sparing him a glance.

Sans closes his eyes and immediately blacks out.

  
  


It's cool, dark and quiet when he wakes up. He's in the pet bed, on top of the blanket. Chara is sound asleep in their own bed. Sans sucks in a breath, squirming underneath the blanket and biting it with his teeth to pull it over his shoulder. He huddles down, hiding his face against the pillow and trembling silently. Is he still on strike two? How long until he fucks up again… or was that just for the dinner party? He doesn't know, but it's terrifying. 

“Sans?!” Frisk’s panicked shriek grates through the air.

Sans sits up, covering his mouth with his palm and barely muffling his frightened scream.

Chara stirs but doesn't wake. 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!”

Sans struggles to pull the blanket around himself, his useless hands pawing clumsily at the fabric.

Frisk backs away, giving him space while he orients himself. He eventually gives up, just huddling in place miserably and trying to hide himself as best he can from the kid’s searching eyes.

“Sans? Are you okay? Do.. do you want me to go?”

Sans says nothing, just curls his tail between his legs and sobs quietly.

Tentatively, Frisk moves closer. Sans cowers, fumbling with the blanket again to try and hide his mutilated body.

“I've already seen.” They say gently.

His chin trembles and it becomes just a bit harder to keep his crying quiet.

“Hey, hey, it's okay.”

It’s not okay it’s not okay, nothing about this is  _ okay _ ...Sans flinches and shuts his eyes as Frisk moves close again.

Their arms wrap around him gently. Sans shivers, whimpering and hiccuping. “s-s-s-sorry…”

“Shhh, it's okay. I'm sorry I left.”

“d-d-don’t h-h-hurt d-d-don’t h-hurt..”

“I won't, sshhhhhh.” 

Sans braces both palms over his mouth to muffle himself, sobbing into the blanket. Why do they have to see him like this? 

“I can go if you want.”

“i’m s-so s-s-sorry…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” They murmur, hugging him while they stroke his head.

“F-Frisk..”

“Yeah?”

He hiccups, leaning his head into their hand, “F-Frisk…” 

Frisk obligingly pets him more, mumbling soothing nonsense. Sans curls up against them, trembling and sobbing against them. He doesn’t know how or why he’s able to touch them but he doesn’t care. He needs the touch of somebody he knows will never hurt him. And Frisk is happy to provide. Sans nestles in closer to the child, his breathing gradually steadying out.

In a few minutes, he’s back to being asleep.

Frisk turns a furious glare onto Chara’s sleeping form. 

This is  _ war _ now. They need to find help. They need… yeah, he'll do, if they can find him. 

 

Chara yawns, sitting up and glancing over at the dog curled up in his bed. He’s turning restlessly in his sleep, whimpering and crying ‘Papyrus no’ in choked, barely comprehensible whispers.

They hop down from their bed and attempt to rouse him. He jolts up, yelping and scrambling back from Chara’s hands.

Chara just crosses their arms, eyeing him. The glassy look in his sockets slowly fades and he slumps in place, trembling and wiping at his eyes, “g...g-g-g-g’m-mornin’ m-master…”

“Good morning Sansy. How was your sleep?” 

“n...n-n-n-nightm-mares…”

“Aw, poor baby.” They pet him along the spine, “Do you want to talk about them?” 

“n...n-n-no…” Because it was more nightmares about third strike consequences and it doesn’t feel right to talk about that. 

“Alright.” They take one of his mangled hands in their own and remove the bandages, inspecting the mostly-healed damage. 

Sans flinches, drawing in his shoulders and swallowing. No more pain please no more pain…

“I think we’ll be fine leaving off the bandages today.” Chara mutters, lifting his other hand and inspecting it. “These as well.”

“o...o-okay, m-master…”

“Let me see your legs.”

Sans shifts so he’s no longer sitting on them, holding the blanket close to his chest and trembling.

Chara ignores the obvious fear in favor of looking over his stumps. Sans watches them carefully, bracing himself for any violence they might have the urge to give into.

“These will be fine as well.” Chara nods, setting them down.

Sans just nods, hiding his face in the blanket and swallowing tightly.

“Why are you so jumpy this morning?”

“i’m sorry...i-i’m sorry i d...i d-don’t know...th-the nightmares, i g-guess…”

“You know the strikes reset, right? At midnight.”

“wh...wh-what t-t-time is i-it, m-master…?”

“Um, morning?” Chara shrugs.

“i...i-i-i d-d-don’t want to m-mess up a-again, e-even if i h-have m-more ch-chances, m-master…”

“That’s good.”

“...i-i’m s-still a good boy..?”

“Yes. Yes you are.”

Sans searches the Bonder for the good feelings Chara usually sends, frowning in concern when he scrounges up none. He lets out a little whine.

“You don’t get those when you fish for them, Sansy. ”

No, that doesn't make sense. When Chara calls him a good boy he feels nice. Why does he not feel nice? He ducks his head and whines again. Chara rolls their eyes and sends the feelings he’s after through the bond. Sans sighs in relief and relaxes, closing his eyes and purring.

Chara smirks and pets him after a moment. He purrs louder, pressing his head against their hand as his tail gently thumps against the floor.

“I'm glad you're happy.” The human says softly, scratching under his chin.

“m-mph... _ krr _ ….l-love you…”

“Good boy.” Chara smirks, adding another dash of happiness.

His tongue lolls out and he starts panting, beginning to feel almost drunk off of the positive sensations. He hasn’t felt happiness in so long…

“Such a good puppy, just for me. This is much better than watching everybody die over and over and over again, isn't it Sansy?”

_ ‘yes master….’ _

“Good.” They stand up and walk back to their wardrobe. “I have lessons today.”

_ ‘okay master...good luck…’ _

“Don’t sleep the day away, Sansy.” Chara warns.

_ ‘...wh..wh-what would you like m-me to do…?’ _

Chara shrugs. “Entertain yourself. I don’t particularly care what you do, as long as you behave.”

_ ‘...i’ll try…’ _ What is he supposed to do? He couldn’t even play cat’s cradle if he wanted. But… Real dogs managed to keep themselves occupied, so he supposes Chara expects the same from him. 

Real dogs slept a lot, too, when they didn’t have anything better to do. But that’s not allowed. Sans drags his ‘paw’ down his face, flinching and jerking his arm away. He hates the feeling of his fingerless hand. It’s wrong and it makes him feel sick.

But unless Chara resets-- Or reloads, assuming they haven’t saved-- he’s going to have to get used to it. It’s a process though.

Sans crawls out of the dog bed, shaking off the blanket and sitting back on his knees, looking around. He’ll figure out something.

“I should have some toys and things for you in the next few days.” Chara’s voice is muffled behind the sweater they’re pulling over their head.

_ ‘okay master.’ _

“How are you on water?” 

Sans checks the dish,  _ ‘i’m fine. master.’ _

“Alright. Be good.” They rush out the door.

Sans watches the door after they leave, and looks around again. His head turns up and he sees their bookcase. His eyes widen. When’s the last time he read a book…? He can’t even remember…

It’s difficult but not impossible - he manages to paw a book free from the case and turn it over on the ground. He rests on his stomach in front of it, nosing open the cover with his face and relaxing. It’s some sort of children’s book...he doesn’t care. He’ll read anything, at this point. It’s perfect...he’s found something to do that will actually keep him entertained, and he won’t even fall asleep.

He feels his SOUL relax. Finally he’s done something right.

The pictures are colorful and pleasant to look at, and he recognises the book itself, even though his memories of it are blurry. It’s nice to have something to do, something that actually stimulates his tired mind for once. He’s so tired of having nothing to do but scream and purr...he had a lab, once. He had a job that required thinking. He used to be a scientist, after all.

He can feel his tail wagging behind him as he absorbs himself in the silly story. Letting his mind actually digest something and form thoughts and opinions is such a relief he nearly feels like crying.

When he finishes the book he immediately fetches another. Yeah. This is definitely something to do for the next...however long this lasts…

Sans decides not to think about how long that might be and instead starts reading the messy copy of  _ The Boxcar Kids,  _ humming quietly in contentment as he does so.

It’s six hours and three books later that Chara enters the room, looking tired and grumpy. They cast their eyes around the room, looking for their probably miserable dog, only to find him next to their bookshelf, absorbed in a copy of  _ Charlotte’s Web _ . His eyes hold the most sentience they’ve seen since his relapse. He looks up from the book as he hears them enter, and smiles widely, sitting up and crawling over to greet them.

“And just  **_what_ ** do you think you’re doing?” Chara snaps, hands on their hips and glaring down at him

Sans blinks, sitting back, “..i...s-saying hello, master? i...i-i’m sorry, did you have a bad day…? i c-can leave you alone…”

They point to the books on the floor. “I meant  _ those. _ ” 

Sans looks over his shoulder, “i...i w-was gonna clean up, i just...i got d-distracted, master-”

Chara kicks him in the side, knocking him over. “ **_Dogs don’t read, Sansy._ ** ” 

Sans curls over his stomach, gasping and choking out the beginnings of a protest, “b-but-!”

“BUT WHAT?”

“i...i-i l-like r-reading it...i-it m-makes m-me happy…” He whispers.

“ **_And?_ ** ”

“...p-please m-master d-don’t t-take r-reading f-from  m-me..”

“And  _ this _ is why I don’t want you doing it! You’re already arguing.”

Sans swallows, shutting his eyes and trying not to start sobbing in despair. No, no...he’d felt so alive, he’d felt so  _ free _ ….why does he have to lose everything….?

Chara is glaring down at him, waiting. If he doesn’t just agree they’ll punish him. They might punish him anyway.

“wh-why…”

“Because you’re a  **_dog_ ** , Sansy. You’re  **_my dog_ ** .”

Sans covers his mouth, squinting his eyes shut and trembling, “i’m s-sorry…”

“You should be.” They grab him by the collar and lift him into the air. “Now how should I punish you?”

“i d-don’t kn-know..”

“Well if you don’t have any ideas, then I guess we have to take you downstairs.” Chara says, almost mournfully.

“wh-why...wh-why are y-you d-doing th-this i th-thought you l-loved m-me…”

“I do love you, and that’s why I need to punish you. It’s called tough love, sweetie.”

“i w-was just r-reading...y-you d-didn’t tell m-me i c-couldn’t r-read…”

“I told you to be good.”

“i d-d-didn’t  _ kn-know _ , Ch-Char-...” His sockets go black, “...m-master i m-mean…”

“ **_See what I mean? Those books put you into another fucking relapse._ ** ”

“i…...i-i’m sorry-” 

Chara slams him against the wall. “You never fucking think, Sans.”

_ “gh!  _ a-a-am i s-supposed to?!” He cries, utter confusion and frustration making him forget his sense of self-preservation, “o-or am i s-supposed to b-be a d-dumb d-dog?!”

“ **_You’re supposed to know what kind of behavior is acceptable for a dumb dog!_ ** ”

Sans shuts his eyes and starts sobbing, frustrated and exhausted with this game.

Chara ignores the tears and grabs one of his ribs, snapping it in two. He screams, clawing at the wall and staring up at the ceiling, sobbing heavily.

_ ‘i want out…’ _

“Out of  _ what _ ?”

Sans shuts off the Bonder link, crying and putting his ‘paws’ over his eyes. _‘this is a fucking nightmare and i want to go_ ** _home_** _i want out somebody help me for the love of god somebody please please help…’_

Chara snaps another rib. Sans’s screaming becomes a mix of pain and frustration as he finally vents every last anxiety and fear and sadness that’s been building up since this game started.

_ ‘i want this to end i want it to be over somebody please please  _ **_please please_ ** _ help me i’m sorry i’m so sorry for everything i’ve done please help me _ !’

“ _ nobody is coming. Chara’s all we’ve fucking got. _ ”

_ ‘i want to be done..’ _

_ “you think this game has an end? you’re in for a surprise, bucko. this doesn’t fucking end. it just goes on and on and it’ll get  _ worse  _ i can promise you that.” _

Sans sobs, his chin dropping to his sternum as despair starts to overwhelm him,  _ ‘i just wanted to read…’ _

_ “puppies don’t read, do they?”  _ The voice mocks,  _ “sooner you leave sentience behind the easier this’ll all be. you’ll still get punished and you won’t know why because there’s not gonna be a real fucking reason but at least you’ll be all too happy to earn their forgiveness, right?” _

Sans screams louder, the room starting to shake, as he feels a sharp pain in his chest,  _ ‘no! no no no please!’ _

_ “give up. just fucking  _ **_give up_ ** _ and make this easier for both of us!” _

_ ‘ _ **_no! please! not yet not yet i don’t want to Shatter_ ** !’ Sans starts thrashing out against Chara, managing to free himself by shocking them with the show of apparent defiance. He quickly drags his SOUL from his chest, clasping his hands around it and struggling to hold the split heart together,  _ “no!  _ no no no no no no no no no no!” He braces his cupped hands against his forehead, sobbing and begging himself to stay as whole as he can, “no no please no please please-!”

Chara has no idea what to do.

“h-help m-me..!” Sans sobs, turning his teary eyes up to Chara, “i’m g-going to Sh-Shatter h-help m-me…!”

They kneel down beside him and focus on the little ball of magic through the Bonder. It feels ready to fall apart. Damn. He crawls forward and braces his head against their shoulder, sobbing and trying to cling to them with his useless hands.

“Shhh, it's alright.”

“i’m s-s-sorry i’m s-s-so s-sorry m-master i’m s-s-so s-sorry p-please t-take c-care of m-me…!”

“Shhhh, it's okay, I love you.”

Sans wipes his tear-soaked face on their sweater, curling up in their lap and trying to muffle his crying, “l-love y-you t-too i’m s-so sorry i’m s-s-so s-s-sorry…”

“Shhh, let it out. I know it's hard. It'll be okay.”

“t-t-take c-c-care o-of m-me i n-need you t-t-to t-take c-care of m-me wh-when i’m g-gone m-master i c-can’t i c-can’t…!”

“Hold it together, you can do it.”

“i d-don’t w-want to g-go…”

“Shhhh…” Chara rubs his back. “You're not gonna shatter.”

Sans hiccups, “y-you’re g-gonna h-have m-me r-raped a-and i’m g-gonna sh-shatter…”

“I'm not gonna do it, I'm not gonna do it. It's obvious you won't be able to handle it, I'm not gonna do it.”

Sans stares at them for a moment, and then bursts into tears again, hugging them tightly and sobbing into their shoulder.

“Shhh, it's okay.”

“i l-love y-you...i’m s-sorry…”

“I know.”

“i’m so sorry…”

Chara takes a deep breath and checks over the little heart once more. It’s holding together. It’s not going to fall apart. Good. They continue rocking Sans and rubbing his back, telling him that  _ it’s okay, it’s gonna be fine, you’ll be alright, I’m here…  _

After a while, Sans passes out, too emotionally exhausted to stay conscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't expect another chapter for a little while, Lucy and Trash Mom both need a bit of a break. Feel free to drop ideas for what we can do next into the @hellish-anomaly ask box, just make sure to specify that your idea is for just our fallen hell/breaking point.


	11. tears to shed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not fair, it never was. And maybe the ending was inevitable, but they didn't know that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trash Mom here. I wanted to thank you guys for faithfully sticking by Lucy's and my insanity. I hope you're satisfied with this ending...

Sans’s eyelights are so dim they’re barely visible as the glittery ball of dust bounces back from the wall again and rolls back to his paw. He’s lying on his stomach on his bed, holding a squeaky dog bone in his mouth that Chara had found for him at the dump. They’d washed it but it still tastes like dirty water and saliva. But it makes their face light up in sadistic glee to see him chewing it, so he does.

His eyes follow the toy ball’s trail as he weakly bats it back at the wall again for the millionth time. Not allowed to read. Not allowed to sleep. They’re gone for hours at a time but they check the camera recordings to make sure he hasn’t disobeyed them. The bookshelf stays where it is, all the stories he’d pulled out put back into place by the maids while he’d watched from his bed.

The ball rolls back into his palm.

_ Bap. _

He sends it on a slow journey back to the wall again. 

_ Bap. _

It bounces off and rolls back gradually.

_ Bap. _

He sends it off again.

He has no method of keeping track of time in here. He just has to assume that any moment Chara will come back in, and they’ll want to see him playing with the toy they got him. So he keeps ‘playing’ and wishing he was the dust inside the ball.

_ Bap. _

Sans’s eye twitches and his tense jaw bites down a little too hard on the toy in his mouth, causing it to give a weak  _ squeak _ sound. The noise seems to mock him and he feels tears forming in his eyes again.

_ “you stupid pathetic puppy...can you even see yourself right now?” _

Yes, because unfortunately Chara’s room has a mirror on the far wall from where his bed is. He does his best to ignore it.

_ “look at you..playing with your stupid toy...biting on a bone...you really are just a dog now, aren’t you?” _

Sans’s jaw trembles as he tries to continue to ignore the jeering voice in his own head. He nearly misses as the ball rolls back towards him.

_ Bap. _

_ “what do you think you’ll get punished for today? not licking your own ass? dogs do that, you know. better go above and beyond, right?” _

His eye twitches as he hits the ball a little more forcefully.

_ Bap! _

_ “try and act happy when they get back. dogs love it when their masters come home, right? they’ll probably rip you to pieces for fun, or because you didn’t shit on the floor, but you’re just a stupid dog. as far as you know you deserve it.” _

_ BAP. _

_ “what do you care though? easy way out is just to cooperate. less pain right? still pain, because you’re a stupid little shit that can’t read minds. but at least you’re not getting your legs ripped off. all of them, anyway. you’re out of dog food again. ready to beg for more? ready to pant and smile like a stupid mutt because you’re too scared to use your own v-” _

**_BAP!_ **

The ball slams against the wall and ricochets off the panel and past Sans. He tries to grab it but his fingerless palms just smack against the wood tile floor. The dog bone drops out of his mouth as he sits up, trying to make another grab for it as his collar rings merrily. But it rolls under the bed out of reach.

He has to go get it. He has to go crawl under the bed and grab it.

Instead he just goes limp on his bed and starts sobbing. He doesn’t want to play fetch with himself. He doesn’t want to be a stupid dog anymore.

_ “Chara is gonna punish you if they find you doing nothing.” _

Well they’re not. They’re going to find him crying his eyes out. Not exactly a tantrum...he’s just lying there, his body shaking with his silent, exhausted weeping. He’s too tired to really  _ cry  _ anymore.

If he could just stop existing, for a bit...take a break…

...he wouldn’t object to that.

 

It isn't long before Chara enters their room, looking tired and grim. These lessons are starting to take a toll on them. Between this and the increasing hassle of keeping their pet in one piece without shattering, they're starting to wish that they'd just kept the underground empty and dragged him up to the surface with them. They could've come up with some plausible explanation for a walking skeleton, right?

With a defeated sigh, they check their room for Sans. Yep. He’s in the bed. Crying. Of course. Because today was just going swell. 

Wondering exactly what was up with him but not really willing to pry it out of him, Chara opts for checking him instead. 

 

**_Sans_ **

**_1HP_ **

_ Doesn't want to fetch.  _

 

Right. Because  _ that _ was fucking informative.

With another sigh, they stumble over and flop onto their bed, staring at the skeleton with their eyes half shut. He looks fucking  _ miserable _ . Good. That makes two of them.

Anyway they'd  _ wanted _ him miserable, right? Sort of? That's what the whole point had been, right?

They don't even fucking know anymore. This entire debacle is just… tiresome.

Sans gives a quiet series of hiccups as he starts running out of tears. Sniffing, he drags himself over to his water bowl. His paw slips on the freshly polished wooden tiles and he face plants into the dish. Right. Bone and hard polished surfaces didn't mix.

He doesn't even try to pick himself up, just starts crying into the water. Maybe he'll drown. Good. 

 

Chara groans softly as they drag themself up off of their bed. Obviously they're going to have to take a more active approach here. 

They help him up and rub the back of his neck. “Hey Sansy.”

He gives an exhausted sob, saying nothing. They can sense him bracing himself for pain. They check the Bonder.

_ ‘so tired too tired don't wanna try too tired too hard to try why try always fail useless stupid…’ _

Chara lifts him up into their arms, a glimmer of an idea popping into their mind. It would be… nice… they think, and he would no doubt enjoy it, too. 

Sans is limp in their arms, and they lay him out on the bed before going over to the bookshelf. There’s a nearly intact copy of the first Harry Potter sticking out at an angle, and they figure that's as good a place as any to start. They tote it back to their bed and get comfortable with Sans’s head in their lap. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t beg for pets any more than forgiveness. 

He just lays there, willing to take either affection or punishment with equal apathy.

He gets neither. Chara cracks open the book and speaks in a soothing, clear voice. “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of Number Four, Privet Drive were happy to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…”

His trembling slowly stops as they read. After a few pages he opens his eyes, staring at the ceiling as he listens. Chara starts hearing more broken trains of thoughts in his head, as whispers, that revolve around the fictional world they're sharing. They sees flashes of pictures of Sans’s visualization of the novel's events as he listens.

After two chapters, their voice is starting to hurt. They set the book aside.

_ ‘...thank you.’ _

Chara gives him an affectionate rub on the head. “The next couple chapters tomorrow, then?”

_ ‘yes please master.’ _

Chara is silent for a moment. They feel… guilty. The urge to apologize is nearly overpowering. 

Sans can sense their tension,  _ ‘...something i did wrong? what did…’  _ They see him flashing back over the last two hours, trying to locate his moment of misbehavior.

“No, you didn’t. I’m just… tired.” They mutter, rubbing his skull a bit more.

_ ‘sleep?’ _

“If you want. You can stay up here tonight if you want.”

_ ‘you.’  _ Sans clarifies.

“Not that kind of tired.” Chara shakes their head. “I’m just stressed.”

_ ‘sorry.’ _

“It’s… well, it  _ is  _ your fault. But you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Sans gives off the mental equivalent of ‘???’ at that statement.

“Don’t worry about it.” They mutter, petting him again.

_ ‘not in trouble?’ _

“No, no you aren’t. You’ve been a good boy today.”

_ ‘lost ball.’ _

“It happens. I’ll get it for you in the morning. I saw you slip. Are you okay?”

_ ‘sorry about ball.’ _

“It’s fine, I said. Are you hurt from your slip?” They narrow their eyes. The don’t like repeating themself.

Sans flinches.  _ ‘not hurt. sorry.’ _

“Alright. I think I’m going to invest in some gloves for you… I’m sure I can find some-- or have them made-- that have slip-resistant pads…”

_ ‘gloves for no fingers.’ _

“Right. They’d make it look more… natural.” And Chara wouldn’t have to look at his mangled hands.

The last thought comes through whether they like it or not.

_ ‘ugly hands.’ _

“... Yes.”

_ ‘sorry.’ _

“I know.” They mutter. “You’re always sorry.”

_ ‘ugly puppy.’ _

“We’ll fix that.” They scratch under his chin.

He tries to purr for them but the noise just sounds sickly. He  _ feels _ sickly. Why is this still so hard? It hadn't been the first few weeks...and he's happy with them now, right? They'd read to him. He should be happy.

_ ‘should be happy why not happy why’s so hard  _ **_w h y_ ** …?’

“ _ because you’re still holding onto your sanity, dumb dog.” _

Sans cowers at the hateful tone, tucking his tail between his legs,  _ ‘bad puppy bad SOUL ugly SOUL hurts hurts hurts…’ _

“Sans?” Chara asks, worry coloring their tone.

He gives a weak sob,  _ ‘ugly SOUL hurts.’ _

_ Shit _ , again!? Chara lifts him up under the arms and pulls him into a hug. “Hey, it’s okay.”

_ ‘hurts…’ _

“Do you think you’re gonna Shatter?”

There's a long pause.  _ ‘...wanna..’ _

“Why?” It's not like they don't know that he has a lot of reason to want to Shatter, but they're hoping for something tangible they can fix to repair some of the damage.

_ ‘numb. no pain. useless and ugly but won’t care.  _ **_easier_ ** _. please…’  _

Chara sighs. “You know I can't do that.”

Sans doesn't seem surprised. Why would they show him a MERCY like that? 

Chara rubs his spine gently, trying to think of a way to break him out of depression. He’s no fun like this. They tried reading to him and that seemed to help…

_ ‘what does master want?’ _

“You to be happy to see me…” Chara mutters irritably. It’s a moment later they realize that came out out loud and they wince.

_ ‘Chara means hurt..’ _

“Really? But what about when I do nice things for my puppy? I only hurt you when you’re bad, Sansy.”

_ ‘Chara means  _ _ rape _ _..’ _

The human stares down at him, a spark of anger in their eyes. “Again. Only when you were bad.”

_ ‘...trust...no  _ **_trust_ ** _...want to but can't..’ _

“... And if I swear it on my SOUL, will you believe I won’t do it?” A SOUL contract is a fairly risky thing, but they are pretty sure this wouldn’t backfire on them. 

_ ‘not just that...know you  _ **_can't_ ** _...SOUL too broken but...can never tell what makes master mad? reading? sleeping? not predictable. when master comes in pain or pets? was good boy? can't  _ **_tell_ ** _ …’ _

“... You want rules. Clearly defined ones. Right?” 

_ ‘helpful.’  _ Sans nods. 

“Alright. I’ll come up with something in the next few days.”

_ ‘thank you master.’ _

“See? It’s not so hard to be good.”

_ ‘hard to know.’ _

“We’ll fix that, don’t you worry. For now… Just relax.”

Sans slumps in their lap wordlessly. Chara scratches under his chin, hoping to elicit a purr or at least a pleased reaction.

_ “..krk…”  _ Just more sickly sounds. Damn.

“Do you want to sleep?”

‘ _ please _ .’

“Go ahead.”

_ ‘thank you master.’ _

Chara nods absently, tugging their blanket over the both of them. His mild shivering dies down as he huddles closer to the source of warmth that is Chara. 

Chara smiles and drapes an arm over him. This is much better. Only now that he's unconscious, though…

...if he Shattered he'd be unquestioningly obedient, right? 

No. No no no. Chara shakes their head, eyes narrowing. He'd just be boring. He wouldn't even be Sans anymore. Or the shreds of Sans that they've allowed to remain… There’d be no happy purring, no willing cuddles… No frightened whimpers. 

They stay awake pondering the dilemma, going over rules for him in their mind when Sans starts whimpering in his sleep. They stroke his head, settling closer. Through the Bonder they can see flashes of Papyrus’s angry scowl, as well as their own demonic sneer. Poor puppy, so frightened of everything…

_ “Eat your food, puppy!” _

_ “Pathetic mutt…” _

Sans flinches and kicks out weakly and Chara sees a panorama of Moldbyggs, closing in and shifting between their natural shape and Papyrus. “n-nh...nh..h’p…”

They nudge him, hoping to wake him up. The flashes from the Bonder get longer, more intense, as Chara continues to pry.

_ “You filthy little runt…” The Papyrus/Moldbygg sneers, grabbing his legs and yanking them apart. _

_ “Bad puppies get punished.” Chara repeats in a mantra, giggling and clapping their hands encouragingly at the monster assaulting Sans, “Break him!” _

“C’mon Sansy, wake up!”

_ ‘sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry-!’ _

They shake him roughly.

Sans starts sobbing,  _ ‘sorry sorry sorry sorrysorrysorrysorry!’ _

“Sans, you're having a nightmare,  **_wake up_ ** !”

He comes to with a scream, eyes shooting wide open and eyelights vanishing in an instant. Chara instantly stops shaking him, opting for comforting pets and meaningless coos. Sans collapses limply into their lap as his screaming dies, trembling and shutting his eyes again.

“Shhh, Sansy, it’s okay honey.” Chara murmurs, stroking his spine. “It was just a dream.”

_ ‘more rape. more pain. hate sleeping. all i want though…’ _

“Do you want me to get you some dreamless sleep potion?”

_ ‘please.’ _

“Alright. In the morning.” Chara says softly. He seems so  _ fragile _ …

...Sans  _ isn't _ fragile though...this isn't…

...this isn't  _ Sans _ anymore, really, is it?

_ ‘so tired…’  _

The guilty feelings wash over them again, and they wince. Fuck, this isn’t  _ fair _ …

_ ‘so tired...can't sleep...nightmares...so many...hates me...they hate me…’ _

“Hey, hey, hey… Breathe, Sansy.”

_ ‘hate that  _ **_name_ ** _ …’  _ Sans thinks, breathing nonetheless. 

“Sans…” They mumble.

_ ‘hate him…’ _

Chara doesn't know what to say to that. After all the work they put into making their puppy hate who he used to be… they can hardly complain now. This is what they wanted. This is what they wanted this  _ is what they wanted _ …

His face twists up and he starts softly sobbing.

...at least he’s showing emotion again.

They try petting him. It hasn’t yet worked but they can’t come up with anything else and the nearly foreign feeling of guilt is eating away at them. He pushes his head into their hand, scooting in closer and hiding his face in the blanket. 

“I… I’ll send for a servant with some of that potion right now, okay sweetie? Then you won’t have to wait until tomorrow. Okay? Is… is that better?” They mumble uncertainly.

He nods, sniffing,  _ ‘please…’ _

Chara pulls their phone off the nightstand and shoots off a text, setting it aside. They tilt up Sans’s head so they can see his face, and are unsurprised by the bright red tear tracks running down his cheekbones. They wipe them away.

_ ‘i’m so tired..’ _

“You can sleep soon.”

_ ‘i’m tired of  _ **_being_ ** _ …’ _ Sans shuts his eyes,  _ ‘that Sleep isn’t happening soon.’ _

“I had hoped you would get used to this.” They say it quietly, staring up at the ceiling. “You know? I figured by this point you’d… I guess just snap? Stop thinking? I don’t know. I… I thought you were weaker than this.”

_ ‘what do you  _ **_want_ ** _ …?’ _

“I don’t even know anymore.” Chara tugs their blanket around their shoulders, pulling Sans closer onto their lap. “I don’t think I ever knew.”

_ ‘do you have any MERCY..’ _

“...” Chara stares at the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.  _ Do _ they? They would’ve said no, years ago. Then… Then they woke up in the body of that  _ traitor _ (but was it really betrayal if Chara had  _ known _ that Frisk would always choose their father figure over their unstable friend?) and were reminded of the warmth of HOPE, of the value of MERCY. And then… It all came crashing down again. It always did, didn’t it? There’s always further to fall. And even weeks ago, they would’ve told him ‘No.’, knowing that they had no desire for anything but his suffering (even then, though, wasn’t there a twinge of doubt there?). But the question hadn’t been asked years ago, or even days ago. It was being asked right now, in the middle of the night, by a trembling little puppy.

_ ‘i want this all to stop..’ _

Chara leans their head back. “Did Frisk ever show you that clearing in the forest on the mountain? The one where they liked to watch the stars from?”

Sans nods, hiccuping quietly as his and Chara’s visual memories of the place merge through the Bonder.

“It was a nice place... “ Chara mutters. “Beautiful… The stars have always been lovely. I liked to watch them when I was still on the surface. But I never found a place like that, untouched the lights of the city… They worked so hard to get monsters to the surface…” And Chara had thrown it away. “... If you see them, tell them I’m sorry…”

_ ‘gone for days…’ _

They nod, accepting that. “Do… you really want to Shatter?”

_ ‘yes...no...i’m...scared...but this...it hurts, Chara...this hurts…’  _

“... I promise I’ll take good care of you when you’re gone.” They mumble, running a hand over his spine.

_ ‘...put me to sleep first, please...i don’t want to feel it…’ _

“... Okay.” Chara says gently.

 

“Sans?” Frisk tries to poke him, trying to get his attention. They’ve moved on from the desperate yelling, from the cursing and complaining. They’d been here for  _ hours _ , now. If the bonder wasn’t going to do its thing twenty minutes ago, it wasn’t going to do it at all.

But this… This is the end, isn’t it? There’s nothing more to say… Except goodbye. And Frisk  _ hates _ goodbyes. Especially when those goodbyes are their fault. If.. If they had just reset, after Undyne... if they had encouraged Sans to fight back-- If, if  _ if… _ “Sans, I-I’m sorry…” There’s still no response. He can’t see them. They’re not sure if they want him to…

What would they say? Ask him to  _ not  _ give up? After countlessly screaming at him to just do as Chara says, so they didn’t have to see him in pain?

They can just imagine the look he’d give them. They hadn’t thought he was strong enough to make it through then. Why should he believe that they think he can  _ now _ ?

They can sense his SOUL...it’s just barely clinging to life. All the hope he has left is slipping away, bit by bit. The fretful flickering of the thing has only died down because Chara has finally promised to end his pain.

It’s not  _ fair _ … 

But when has it ever been?

 

There’s a knock on the door, and Chara gets up to get the medicine from its deliverer. 

 

Hesitantly, Frisk reaches out. They… do they want to try and touch the abused little heart? Just… Just to say goodbye? Do they even deserve that?

Sans’s eyes open and he seems to stare right at them. 

They flinch back, shoving their hands in their pockets and looking at the bedspread, feeling like a child with their hand caught in a cookie jar.

“g’...bye…?” Sans’s voice is so thick from lack of use he sounds like a child. 

Frisk feels something  _ crack _ . They no longer have their own physical SOUL, but it still feels like they’ve been shot in the chest. Their eyes fill up with tears. “... Yeah. I-I--” They choke on a sob. Odd, how they can do that without a physical body… “I’m sorry, dunkle… I love you… I wish--” They’re voice cracks. They  _ can’t _ ….

“...’ve y’too…”

Frisk sucks in a breath, impulsively throwing their arms around him. It doesn’t work, but they don’t want to let go… But what’s the point… They’re  _ nothing _ , nothing they can do… It’s over, isn’t it? In the end, nobody got what they wanted. And there’s nothing left… Just the scattered ashes of what was once a happy ending. It  _ hurts _ … For once in their life, Frisk can’t feel the oppressive weight of Determination, the absolute  _ need _ to keep pushing on no matter what. 

For once, Frisk just wants it to  _ stop _ .

Flowey’s gone. They had only found Dust and a few scattered golden petals.

Chara’s gone. There’s no chance of redemption, no salvation for what remained of their friend. 

Sans… Sans is gone. The only MERCY left is the end…

For once, Frisk wants to be gone, too…

_ Don’t I have anything better to do? _ They stare at the wall, moving away from Sans.

Sans reaches out for them, whimpering.

“Sans… I  _ can’t _ … If I stay, it’ll only make it harder for you to sleep.” They can’t say it, can’t admit what’s  _ really _ going to happen. But there’s still tears falling, vanishing into the aether the moment they leave their face.

“‘gether...s...g-go t...sleep…’gether…’lease..”

Together?

Go to sleep… Together?

Their chest aches. They clutch at the hem of their shirt, shivering. There’s nothing left.

Nothing. Just them, and the scattered ashes of their happy ending. They tried so hard, but fell short in the end. They deserved to give up alone, to fade away forgotten in some cold, dark corner of the dungeon. 

They don’t want to be alone. “... Okay…” They settle onto the pillow beside him. They still can’t touch him. They can’t hold him-- But they don’t want to hold him. They want to  _ be held _ . Frisk’s so, so tired of having to be the grown-up.

They watch as Chara momentarily sits up to feed Sans the potion before allowing him to lay back down. Sans's eyes water as he watches Frisk, resting his paw over their ghostly hand. It passes through. The intention is understood though.

“k’d…’m...so s’rry…”

Chara frowns at his hand but says nothing. Looks like Frisk showed up after all. That’s okay. They don’t care anymore. They don’t  _ care _ anymore.They should’ve known, in the end. But there was never any chance of this succeeding. Maybe in another life, maybe in another world. Maybe they would’ve had a happy, obedient companion for the rest of their life.

But not here. Not now.

 

Frisk watches Sans’s eyes slip closed and chokes on another sob. It  _ hurts… _

Chara takes out Sans’s SOUL. It’s cold to the touch. They aren’t really certain how to--

It floats out of their hand, hovering about a foot away.

 

Frisk had been too weak to end it before. They hadn’t been able to bring themself to do it when Sans had begged. But now they hold the flickering little object in their hands. They can’t stop to think. They can’t stop to consider.

‘ _ Take good care of him for me…’  _ They push the thought through the Bonder. ‘ _ Please, Chara _ …’

There's a pause, Chara too surprised by the sound of Frisk’s voice to consider responding.

_ ‘...I love you both...I'm sorry…’ _

**CRACK.**

Sans sucks in a sharp breath, and then lets out a slow sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing and his trembling body going lax against the bed. “thank you.”

Frisk sobs. It hurts…

..and then it doesn't.

 

There’s nobody to see the child fade away. There’s nobody to hear the final choked sob as their Determination wanes and they simply  _ give up _ .

But the broken heart, Shattered into a dozen tiny shards, falls to the bedspread, and Chara  _ knows _ that this time, no amount of resetting will bring them back.

 

They've reached the End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, this seems to have Sunshine syndrome.


End file.
